LALIGA
Who is Víctor García Verdura, the referee for Real Madrid - Valladolid at the Bernabéu?
The Catalan official is making his debut with Real Valladolid in what is only his second campaign in the Spanish top flight.
![The Catalan official is making his debut with Real Valladolid in what is only his second campaign in the Spanish top flight.](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/OHFEIZD2PNOZLAMSTLM6VGRD4Q.jpg?auth=ab54e8dfc66a04fa5a97fd89a214349c4299776c183cadd3312a98324d53dd28&width=360&height=203&focal=1668%2C339)
Real Valladolid will face Real Madrid on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Catalan referee Víctor García Verdura set to officiate the match. Born in Mataró on the Catalan coast in 1994, the 30-year-old is in his second season in LaLiga, and this will be his first match of the campaign as he did not take the field in the first round of games. His debut for the season is set to be a big one, as it will also be his first time officiating at the famous home of Los Blancos and it will be the home debut of a certain Kylian Mbappé.
Award-winning referee debuts at the Bernabéu
Last season, he only refereed one match involving Madrid, a Copa del Rey game against Arandina, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the capital team. This will also mark García Verdura’s first time officiating a match for Real Valladolid.
García Verdura’s record includes two ‘Guruceta’ awards for the best referee of the year in the second division before his promotion, in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Last season, he officiated 19 matches, during which he handed out 73 yellow cards, averaging 4.76 per match throughout his career, and five red cards, with an average of 0.21 per match.
He was one of the least strict referees in the 2023-24 season. For this upcoming match, he will be assisted by Quintero González in the VAR.