Overview
- Valverde said in a new interview that he is a River Plate fan but made clear he would not play for the Argentine club.
- He explained that his support for River began in childhood in Uruguay, where Argentine soccer aired free on TV while local Peñarol games were behind a paywall.
- He stated he wants to go back to Peñarol before retiring and even said he would join the Uruguayan club for free.
- He remains a key starter for Real Madrid and the Uruguay national team, and there are no reports of any talks or bids from River.
- Coverage differed in emphasis, with Diario Uno suggesting he left a door open to River and TN.com.ar highlighting his line, “to River, no.”