Nicknamed ‘The Sparrow’ and with a voice like Mickey Mouse… Valverde tells his story: I expected to be sacked by Real Madrid because of Luca Zidane

Valverde began by recalling the start of his football career, saying: “I was always on the move. One of the coaches nicknamed me ‘the little bird’. My father didn’t like that nickname, but he was the only one who didn’t notice it. Now they call me ‘the falcon’, because I’ve become more fierce. But I’m still the little bird.”

He added: “Then Real Madrid came along, an offer I couldn’t refuse, which made me feel a bit detached even whilst I was at Castilla. It was incredibly awkward; I was devastated. I thought, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here’.”

He continued: “When I got to the car park, I noticed that my teammates at Castilla had luxury cars, whilst I could barely afford a decent one, and I was already playing in the top flight with Peñarol. I started thinking: ‘What have I got myself into?’”

He continued: “I walked into the changing room and started seeing all these expensive designer clothes, and I didn’t want to take my kit off, or I’d take it off quickly so they wouldn’t see me. It was a real shock.”

A while ago, a video went viral of the Uruguayan player during his time at Atlético Peñarol, when he was around 17 years old. It showed him immediately after a match, in a short interview, where his voice stood out remarkably, prompting social media users to make jokes and comparisons, commenting that it sounded like Mickey Mouse.

The player began by saying: “Ah, yes, that was amazing. I’ll never forget it, just like the three goals,” referring to the hat-trick he scored against Manchester City in the first leg of this season’s Champions League round of 16.

He added: “I was actually having problems with my voice. When I spoke, I had a problem with my throat, and they were always advising me to have surgery.”

He continued: “I visited many specialists, and they all told me I needed surgery, but I couldn’t resolve the issue at the time due to financial circumstances.”

He added: “We were a modest family, and we didn’t have enough money to have an operation overnight. We thought it was something that happened during adolescence, and that it would get better, but it never did. I don’t know when it got better, but it didn’t get better back then. Now it has improved, thank God, but I was suffering at the time.”

Valverde also admitted that the video going viral affected him at the time, saying: “After that day, I struggled because people don’t know what’s behind it, and ultimately, that’s a problem. It’s funny now, and I laugh about it, but I was just a child back then.”

He continued: “It led me to spend many years not daring to speak in groups with people I didn’t know, because I knew I had this shortcoming. I felt very shy because of this shortcoming.”

The image of Valverde tackling Álvaro Morata (then an Atlético Madrid striker) as he was through on goal in the Spanish Super Cup remains etched in the memory of many.

Valverde was sent off at the time, but Real Madrid won. Commenting on this, Valverde said: “It’s not a picture suitable for children. But at that moment, I felt I had to take a risk for the team.”

He added: “I knew I’d be sent off. I lost my temper, but I did what I had to do. All I could think about was that Real Madrid had to win. I’m from South America, and we’re impulsive.”

Click here to read article