Valverde scores his 80th Champions League goal for Real Madrid, then hands his man of the match award to Courtois

The scoreboard already read 2-0 with more than half an hour still to play. Fede Valverde showed up where he was least expected, joined the press, won back the ball and finished with the kind of authority that's become his trademark. A goal for the Uruguayan, a goal for Real Madrid, and a night that ended 2-1 over Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu, in matchday one of the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League.

There was more than enough reason for Valverde to walk away with man of the match. It also marked his 80th appearance for Real Madrid in the Champions League, a round number that plenty of players would mark with a photo and a round of applause. He celebrated his with a goal and an individual award. But when they handed it to him, he didn't want it.

The Uruguayan started in midfield, wearing the captain's armband, in a Jose Mourinho side that set up its midfield line with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham ahead of him. His role leaned more toward containment than forward runs, the unglamorous work that doesn't always get noticed but holds everything else together. Even so, he pounced on a loose ball in the 22nd minute to make it 2-0. Even that wasn't enough to convince him he'd been the best player on the field.

Valverde's gesture toward Courtois

The moment he received the trophy, the Uruguayan pointed toward the goal. That's where Thibaut Courtois stood, the man who had kept the team afloat with a string of crucial saves during a first half in which Inter pushed hard.

I don't believe it, I think we had a great first half and this award is largely thanks to Thibaut (Courtois), he saved us today and had an incredible night, this award belongs to him too.Fede Valverde

You don't need to be a die-hard Madrid fan to understand the gesture. Valverde has spent years as one of the players who runs the most, wins back the most balls and complains the least, and now on top of that he hands out credit when he could have just kept the trophy for himself. That kind of thing, inside a locker room, tends to carry more weight than any stat sheet shows.

Courtois, for his part, had one of those nights where a goalkeeper becomes the most decisive player on the field without ever touching the ball with his feet. His saves shut down clear Inter chances while the result was still very much in the balance, and that ended up mattering just as much as the home side's two goals.

The win leaves Real Madrid with a solid start to this new league phase, with Valverde once again a key reference point on the field and, this time, also the first one to share the credit off it.