Both have long hair, wear "number 8" shirts at Real Madrid and play in the midfielder position. However, in reality, the playing styles of Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos are not the same.
Two completely different styles have coexisted for many years at the Bernabeu. However, after his senior retired, Valverde was forced to change.
Kroos gave Valverde his shirt number and voice in the Los Blancos dressing room. However, few people dared to think that the Uruguayan midfielder could replace Kroos' role on the pitch. However, Real's lack of creative factors has left Valverde responsible for leading the team. To put it simply, he had to repeat what Kroos did on the pitch.
The 26-year-old's change is clearly shown through the numbers. He has made an average of 63.3 passes per game this season, 4 more than last season and 12 more than the previous 2 seasons.
Even Valverde's pass completion rate, which Kroos has shown excellently, has improved. The Uruguayan midfielder completed 91.3% of his passes, compared to 89.8% last season.
Valverde has also become a reliable address for his teammates to pass the ball. The number of touches he has on the pitch has increased significantly. Of course, this does not change Valverde's style, with impressive range of activities and energy.
Precise long passes are what make Kroos's brand. And this season, Valverde has also gradually improved this aspect. Not only have they passed more long balls, but the success rate is also very high, from 68.1% last season to 81.7% in this year's campaign.
The Real Madrid orchestra is asking for a conductor and currently, Valverde is the one to lead that responsibility.
Looking at the numbers, no one can deny that Valverde is constantly developing as a playmaker midfielder. But after all, the midfielder is still far behind the German. The way Kroos receives the ball from the back, rotates and develops it is something that Valverde or any other player would find difficult to do.
Although the Uruguayan made more passes and touches, he was still far behind Kroos in other aspects. Valverde touches the ball an average of 79.8 times per match, while Kroos's is 112.5 times.
The difference between the two became even more prominent when entering the opponent's half. In the final third, Kroos made an average of nearly 14 passes per game (compared to Valverde's 7.84).
That number, combined with key passes, shots and assists, explains why Real Madrid's forwards have fewer chances.
Valverde is having a great start to the season, perhaps the best campaign of his career. However, it is not possible to expect the 26-year-old to make the same impact as Kroos.
