Real Madrid’s often unsung hero made himself heard against Villarreal as Federico Valverde opened the scoring from range,

With the game at 0-0 after 20 minutes, the Uruguayan midfielder rifled in from range, via a healthy deflection off an unfortunate member of the Yellow Submarine side, to put Carlo Ancelotti’s side into the lead.

In doing so, he marked himself out as an expert marksman, with Opta revealing that no player in La Liga has scored more goals from outside the penalty area than the Real Madrid midfielder since the beginning of 2022, with his strike moving him clear of Iago Aspas and Antoine Griezmann, both of whom have managed seven.

With his effort from distance still the difference between the two sides at the break, Valverde will be hoping he and his side can bounce back after failing to win either of their last two outings.