5 Real Madrid youth players who should play for the first team

#3 Federico Valverde

Valverde has drawn comparisons to Madrid winger James Rodriguez at a young age

One of the most highly rated young players from South America, Federico Valverde was targetted by major European clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and even Real Madrid with Los Blancos eventually winning the race for the Uruguayan’s signature.

Nicknamed El Pajarito or The Birdie due to his dribbling abilities, the 18-year-old has the talent to play either as a central midfielder or even on the right flank, but while he lacks pace, Valverde more than makes up for it with his passing and his finishing.

Although Real Madrid bought the player as a 16-year-old, the Uruguayan could only join the club as a professional player in the summer of 2016 and has impressed since then. He impressed scouts during the 2015 U-17 South American Championships and scored seven goals to fire Uruguay to the top of Group B, edging out both Argentina and Chile.

Similar in style to James Rodriguez, Valverde still has to grow and improve as a player both physically and mentally. However, given time, he could end up being as fine a player as the Colombian.