“A world idol” – Midfielder over the moon with ‘spectacular’ comparisons to Liverpool legend

Following the comparisons with Steven Gerrard from Luis Suárez, Federico Valverde is fairly chuffed with what his compatriot had to say.

The striker explained the Uruguayan midfielder reminded him of the Liverpool legend with the manner he played football, highlighting his box to box qualities amongst other things.

The 24-year-old has been in stupendous form for Real Madrid of late, which is why all the praise and the comparisons to Gerrard are emerging, and, speaking to Infobae, Valverde gave his two cents on the matter.

He said: “It’s spectacular when you are compared to such a player, to a star, a world idol, not just a Liverpool one. It’s amazing. I see characteristics of him, obviously, I’m not going to say no, but one always looks out for one self. I also want to leave my name and my mark in the world of football, not just Madrid but in the national team.”

The player then went on to say he also wants to emulate the Liverpool legend for his ability to find the back of the net, something Gerrard became famous for with his strikes from outside the box.

Valverde said the compares only served as motivation for him, and will help him in wanting to continue to learn and improve himself.

Gerrard, who came through the youth ranks at Liverpool, made an astonishing 710 appearances for the Anfield side, scoring 186 goals and assisting another 153.

While Valverde is a long way off that, he already boasts 158 games for Real Madrid, finding the back of the net 10 times and assisting another 10 goals during his time there since his 2016 transfer from Peñarol.