Joe Cole: “We talk a lot about Bellingham in England, but Valverde is as good as he is.”

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole, who is now a pundit on BT Sport, was full of praise for Fede Valverde after Real Madrid beat Celtic 5 - 1 on Wednesday night.

Fede is currently one of the most in-form players in world football, and while everyone in Spain knows this, it’s nice to see the media and fans outside of La Liga taking notice as well.

“He’s been able to bide his time and learn from the likes of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric,” Cole said. “He’s at the top of the young players alongside Jude Bellingham, and he’s about to become the best.

“We talk a lot about Bellingham in England, but this kid is as good as he is.”

Cole also described Valverde’s style of play.

“He’s a box-to-box player, he scores goals, he’s technical, he was the unsung hero in the Champions League final and I thought he was outstanding against Liverpool,” the ex-Chelsea attacker said. “Valverde has made Madrid better. He’s a powerful guy.”