This is still the best No. 8 in La Liga for Real Madrid, even though Toni Kroos left.

Toni Kroos was a real contender for the Ballon d’Or after a great season for Real Madrid in LaLiga and the Champions League in 2023–24. He was the best No. 8 in European football that year, which was also his last as a professional.

Nobody can replace Kroos’ skill-set, but, in a way, Valverde is replacing his leadership and even molding his game to at least help fill some of the gaps in the void left by the German ʂniper.

After Kroos’ retirement and the inevitability of being unable to replace the German international directly, Real Madrid still have the best No. 8 in Spanish football right now.

That honor belongs to Fede Valverde, who, on a star-studded Real Madrid side, has actually been the Merengue club’s standout player through the first six league matches of the 2024/25 campaign.

However, Real Madrid still has the best No. 8 player in Spain, even though Kroos has retired and there will not be a straight replacement for the German international.

That award goes to Fede Valverde, who has been Real Madrid’s best player in the first six league games of the 2024–25 season, even though the team is full of brilliant players.

In the 4-1 win over Espanyol, Valverde had another good game, if not underrated one. He completed 92.4 percent of his 79 pass attempts and had five stops and interceptions.

It was another classic, all-around game from Real Madrid’s captain in the middle of the field. Fede continues to proudly wear the famous No. 8 Real Madrid shirt, carrying on Toni Kroos’s tradition.

In Carlo Ancelotti’s system, Jude Bellingham is like a hybrid 8/10, while Fede is the real center midfielder. He moves the ball from the defense to attacking lines, keeps it, and defends like a top-level defender.

Valverde has made a lot of plays this season. He has 3.5 stops, 3 interceptions, and 1.7 key passes per game, making him a great creator and defender. The No. 8 player from Uruguay is also making 91 percent of the 67 passes he makes each game and has helped set up two goals.

Valverde is the most versatile player in the middle of the field for Real Madrid. Along with Thibaut Courtois and Luka Modric, he is slowly becoming the most respected player on the team.

Anyone can’t take Kroos’ place as a player, but in a way, Valverde is taking his place as a leader and even changing his game to help fill some of the gaps left by the German shooter.

At this point, it seems like a very pointless quest to try to find a better box-to-box player playing at a higher level in LaLiga right now, in the 2024–25 season. He is the only one on that podium at the top.