Federico Valverde netted a superb late volley to secure a 1-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night.

With the game slipping towards a goalless draw, Valverde fired in a shot that gave the Los Blancos a late victory and keeps the team within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Speaking after the game, Thibaut Courtois hailed Valverde for his strike, as he revealed that the Uruguayan usually comes up with things like this in training.

“Fede has a very unusual shot, a very good one,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said.

“Yesterday in training he kicked a ball that looked like it was going wide and suddenly it took a spin and you think, ‘How did you kick that?’ It’s very sharp, fast and powerful.

“In training he easily does one or two like that a week. We’ve been telling him for years: ‘shoot, shoot’.”

Valverde also reflected on his stunning goal, which secured the victory for Real Madrid.

“I didn’t overthink it. Sometimes I think too much and doubt myself, but this time I just went for it,” he explained. “I had quite a few shots in this game, and most of them were good. I felt confident, and my teammates kept encouraging me. Luckily, it went in.”