Walter Pandiani, a former footballer who played in Spain for Deportivo La Coruña, Mallorca, Espanyol, Osasuna, Villarreal, and Atlético Baleares, spoke with Josep Pedrerol on El Cafelito about Real Madrid’s leadership issues and the role of his compatriot Fede Valverde.

“Real Madrid always needs a leader, and right now they don’t have one,” said the 49-year-old former Uruguayan striker.

Pandiani pointed to Valverde’s role as captain, noting that while the midfielder is an excellent player and teammate, he may not yet embody what the role demands at a club like Real Madrid. “They have Fede Valverde as captain, and he’s still the same young player we saw years ago. He’s a great player, a great teammate, but maybe he also needs other types of players around him who can help him,” he explained.

“To be a leader at Real Madrid, I think you need other kinds of things,” Pandiani added, without questioning Valverde’s quality on the pitch.

The former striker then offered a clear solution. If he were in charge of the team, he would look for a leader in the mold of Sergio Ramos. “Maybe bringing back a former Madrid player would have been a good idea. If I were the coach, I would have brought back Sergio Ramos, even if he played fewer minutes, for the day-to-day work, for the dressing room, and to support Arbeloa’s project in a different way,” he said.

“I would have called Sergio Ramos to help me, to be on my side, to defend my proposal,” Pandiani insisted.

Interestingly, Sergio Ramos himself reacted positively to the comments. The defender liked Pandiani’s remarks on social media and, a few hours later, posted a video on his Instagram stories featuring the Real Madrid anthem.

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