Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has called on Federico Valverde to demonstrate true leadership by accepting emergency positional changes ahead of their Champions League trip to AEK Athens.
With defensive injuries thinning his options, the Portuguese coach emphasized that captaincy requires placing team necessity above individual preferences.
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Addressing the media in Greece, Mourinho insisted that wearing the captain’s armband comes with a duty to lead by example on the pitch.
“I see Fede as an extremely important player for the team,” Mourinho noted.
“The fact of being Real Madrid’s captain makes him look around in a different way. When you are the captain, you have to be different. It is a responsibility, and I think that will make him play wherever is necessary for his team and for his teammates.”
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Mourinho expressed full confidence that Valverde would embrace whatever tactical role is assigned to him without complaint.
“That is what a captain is to me, and that is why I am convinced it will not be a problem for Fede to play wherever,” Mourinho concluded. “If needed at left-back, he will do it because of the responsibility of a captain.”
