Fede Valverde reveals he was offered Manchester City penalty by Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde enjoyed the finest night of his professional career on Wednesday, scoring his first-ever hat-trick in Real’s Champions League Round of 16 first-leg duel with Manchester City at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Yet the Uruguayan has disclosed that the evening could have carried even greater personal reward, revealing to TNT Sports Brazil that Vinicius Junior offered him the second-half spot-kick that ultimately was pushed away by City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“Yes, yes, he asked me (if I wanted to take the penalty),” Valverde said. “Vinicius is a very important player for us. He is a legend within the club. He’s a great friend but I told him to take it himself – many of my teammates thought the same.”

Vinicius, who earned the foul inside the area, stepped up in the 73rd minute only to see Donnarumma dive to his left to parry. The save kept City within striking distance ahead of the return leg and left Madrid regretting the squandered chance to extend their lead.

“These are things that can happen (missing the penalty). It’s a football thing,” Valverde reflected. “It’s true that we still have that downside of the match. If he had been able to score it would have been an incredible night. We are left with that thorn, but it is part of football.”

Despite the miss, the 25-year-old praised his teammate’s immediate reaction. “A penalty can be scored or missed. The important thing is that he came out of that penalty with attitude, he kept running, he kept trying… The fans supported him and that is what generates the union of players and fans that will give us a lot of joy.”

Valverde’s treble had already energised the Bernabéu, and Madrid will hope the 3-1 advantage holds when the sides reconvene next week. For now, the squad must balance satisfaction at a commanding performance with the knowledge that a fourth goal – and a potentially decisive cushion – slipped away in an instant.

Real Madrid now turn their focus to the second leg, where Vinicius, Valverde and the rest of Álvaro Arbeloa’s squad will attempt to finish the job and secure a quarter-final berth.