Valverde recorded his 150th victory in LaLiga as a Madridista with  at Anoeta (1-2). The Uruguayan had this to say after the clash: “I'm proud. Today I was on the bench and seeing my teammates fight with one man down was admirable. In the first half, they had very good control of the game. Obviously, no one wants a sending-off, but that's football. From the bench, it looked like Militão was also there to contest that ball. But the important thing is that the team showed that pride in fighting to get the three points.”

Real Sociedad
“They're a team that plays very well, passes a lot and has top players. They showed that. In the second half, we made a lot of saves; in the end, you also need a bit of luck. Courtois was very alert in several plays to stop one-on-ones. Sometimes these are the games that win you leagues.”

150 victories
“I feel happy and proud. It's an honour to continue representing this shirt, this badge and to continue defending the best club in the world. This is also part of my family.”

Return after international break
“I'm a bit tired from the trip, 12 hours is hard going. But I spoke to the coach and told him I didn't feel 100 per cent fit to play 90 minutes today. He listened to me and understood.”

His numbers
Valverde has reached 150 victories in the League in his eighth season with the team and after having played 215 matches. He has won the title twice (2020 and 2022). The seasons in which he achieved the most victories in this competition were 2023-24 (28) and 2024-25 (25). The side he has beaten most often in LaLiga is Celta Vigo (11).