After winning his second UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, Uruguayan Federico Valverde has reserved energy with the goal of lifting his first Copa América.

The edition in the United States will be Valverde's third in the continental national team tournament, after the 2019 and 2021 editions, both held in Brazil.

Although La Celeste fell in the quarterfinals in both editions, Valverde experienced different realities. In the 2019 edition, he played just nine minutes in the 4-0 victory over Ecuador, started in the 2-2 draw with Japan, and didn't play in the other two matches.

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Two years later, he was a starter in all five matches played by Óscar Washington Tabárez’s team, who debuted him in September 2017 in a South American qualifier match, which they won 2-1 against Paraguay. Unforgettable, as Valverde scored the final goal.

Now, after having played more than 4,200 minutes in 56 matches with La Celeste, Valverde will play the Copa América for the third time. This comes after being one of the indisputable starters in Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid squad in the recently concluded season.

Champion of the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, and the Champions League, the midfielder was pointed out by German Toni Kroos as his direct heir for his position and his number 8 jersey, after the German star announced his retirement at the peak of his career.

In the current season, "El Pajarito," turned "Hawk," led the statistics for Real Madrid midfielders in shots and successful ball progressions, clearly showing that he is the closest to the attackers.

In fact, he was crucial in winning Real Madrid's penultimate UEFA Champions League, assisting Vinícius to score the goal that sealed the 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the final.

Winner of three La Liga titles, one European Super Cup, and two Club World Cups, Valverde is since June 1st the second Uruguayan with the most UEFA Champions League titles. For now, his compatriot and fellow Madridista José Emilio Santamaría surpasses him by two titles.

Next, Valverde will focus on Marcelo Bielsa’s La Celeste, perhaps alongside figures like Ronald Araujo, José María Giménez, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Darwin Núñez.