Seedorf: Valverde among the best in the world

Clarence Seedorf, speaking in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, says that Fede Valverde is one of the best players in the world at the moment.

“Mbappé is crazy, sometimes he has incredible moves. Haaland is one of the strongest players too. Vinícius has grown a lot, then I want to mention [Fede] Valverde, who I had at Depor. In my first training session, I asked ‘who is this? I said: ‘But you, what is the difference between you and Kroos?’ Sure, he wasn’t at his level yet, but you could feel the potential. He was shy,” Seedorf said.

The Dutchman has not coached since leaving the Cameroon national team in 2019, but a year before that he coached Deportivo, just the year Real Madrid loaned Valverde to the Galician club. That season was not good for the Galician club, but on an individual level, Valverde managed to develop and earn a place in the Real Madrid squad and he is now one of the most valuable players on the planet.

Ronaldo moves to Saudi Arabia

The former Netherlands player also wanted to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia: “First of all, he deserves respect. If he goes to Arabia and earns a lot, it will be because he has value. At United, however, perhaps he could have taken a different position to that of the victim. I would tell him to choose to be like a champion, to finish with dignity, in the name of his greatness, to better handle criticism, like Messi has”.

Seedorf says his time as a coach is not over and he is still waiting for a good offer to return to the dugout. “I was also waiting for an offer from Serie A and I regret not having received it. I’m still open, I’d like to go back to coaching,” said the Dutchman.

Pelé: an incredible person

The former Deportivo coach ended with a few words on the death of Pelé. “Pelé meant a lot to me and to football. He was an incredible person. His impact goes beyond the three World Cups he won and his genius.

“He opened doors for black players all over the world and lived to the end with positivity and love. With Sinisa [Mihajlović], I lost a friend who suffered too much. The family should be proud of what he left behind”, he concluded.