Even after Toni Kroos’ exit, Real Madrid still have the best No. 8 in LaLiga

Toni Kroos was a legitimate Ballon d’Or candidate after an incredible 2023/24 season for Real Madrid in LaLiga and the Champions League, as he was the best No. 8 in European football in what ended up being his final season as a professional.

But even after Kroos’ retirement and the inevitability of being unable to replace the German international directly, Real Madrid still have the best No. 8 in Spanish football right now.

That honor belongs to Fede Valverde, who, on a star-studded Real Madrid side, has actually been the Merengue club’s standout player through the first six league matches of the 2024/25 campaign.

Valverde produced another fine, if not underrated, display in the 4-1 win over Espanyol, registering five combined tackles and interceptions while completing 92.4 percent of his 79 pass attempts.

It was another vintage, everyman performance in midfield from Real Madrid’s leader, as Fede continues to don the iconic No. 8 Real Madrid kit with pride, carrying the legacy left behind by Toni Kroos.

If Jude Bellingham is something of a hybrid 8/10 in Carlo Ancelotti’s scheme, then Fede is the true center midfielder shuttling the ball from defensive to attacking lines, keeping possession, and defending at the level of an elite defender.

This season, Valverde is averaging 3.5 combined tackles and interceptions per game with 1.7 key passes per match, proving to be an elite creator and defender. Furthermore, the Uruguayan No. 8 is completing 91 percent of his roughly 67 pass attempts per game and has two goal contributions of his own.

There’s nothing Valverde can’t do in the Real Madrid midfield, and, quietly, he is becoming the most respected player on the team alongside veterans Thibaut Courtois and Luka Modric.

Nobody can replace Kroos’ skill-set, but, in a way, Valverde is replacing his leadership and even molding his game to at least help fill some of the gaps in the void left by the German sniper.

At this point, it would seem to be a very foolish errand indeed to try and find any true box-to-box midfielder playing at a higher level in LaLiga currently in the 2024/25 season than Fede Valverde. He is at the top of that podium all to his own.