Uruguay captain Federico Valverde confirmed the claims his former teammate Luis Suárez made criticizing national team manager Marcelo Bielsa of creating a toxic culture and separating the players on the national team.
The Real Madrid star arrived in Montevideo ahead of the nation's World Cup qualifier games against Peru and Ecuador and was immediately asked to give his thoughts on Suárez's comments.
"Just to clarify, everything Luis [Suárez] said is true," Valverde said outside the airport. "He never lied, he never said anything else that wasn't true, he didn't exaggerate at all, he said the things as they are."
Valverde is the new face of Uruguay soccer. Named captain after the outgoings of legends like Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godín, he's the face of the new generation of players Bielsa has been keen on utilizing ever since he took charge of the national team. The midfielder said is aware that this situation must be addressed for the sake of the team.
"From my part and from all the senior players we must talk about in the dressing room," Valverde said about how they will handle the situation.
"We need to talk about it as a team as we've always done it and improve and continue to grow. Since Marcelo [Bielsa] has been here we've always resolved issues talking. We've always done it this way and this will be another one that will be solved in the same way."
Valverde also said he backs Suárez's decision to speak out publicly about the matter because of the respect he has for the forward's career and what he still means for the players on the team.
"Because it's Luis [Suárez], he doesn't have to ask for permission from anyone and least of all to us," Valverde said. "He's the person that always represented us in everything, he was always the player we looked up too. He's the idol of the whole of Uruguay and he can do whatever he pleases."
Bielsa was asked to comment about the words his former player had to say about him. However, Uruguay's manager couldn't have been more praiseful of Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer, describing his time as a player under him as "impeccable."
With all the noise and turmoil surrounding Uruguay, Valverde made sure to point out that he will never lose the joy of representing his country.
"It's very hard to lose the joy of coming to Uruguay," Valverde said. "You come to represent your country, something you dreamed about when you were a little kid. Coming with my family, my kids being able to be here and watch me play at the Estadio Centenario with the national team shirt is very nice."
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Federico Valverde Backs Luis Suarez's Claims Against Uruguay Manager Marcelo Bielsa.