The end of Dani Carjaval’s adventure at Real Madrid is turning into a nightmare. The more the season progresses, the more the 34-year-old veteran’s playing time decreases. The returns of the internationals from the international break could have given him extra minutes, Alvaro Arbeloa decided otherwise. He remained on the bench against Mallorca, while the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern was looming, where he did not come into play either. The right back, however, was coming off a good performance as a starter two weeks earlier against Atlético de Madrid.
Captain that evening, the Spaniard received a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabéu when he left in the 65th minute. One would have legitimately thought that he could have capitalized on this performance. After all, the player has shown that he still has some qualities despite his advanced age. His playing time has never been significant (18 matches in all competitions) for what should be his last season at the club. He is reaching the end of his contract and his situation annoys him more and more. According to Marcahis case would even cause some tension within the locker room where his loss of influence is another source of frustration.
He injured a Real youngster in training
Since his return to Real Madrid in 2013, Carvajal had never experienced such a situation. He remained the indisputable starter until his serious knee injury in October 2024. Since then, Trent Alexander-Arnold has arrived, and Fede Valverde or even Raul Asencio have been used in this position. The young David Jiménez was even preferred during the meeting in Valencia. The 2024 European champion was relegated to second or even third place, which had the consequence of morally undermining and straining him. In recent weeks, he even clashed with Pintus, a scene which was filmed.
This match in Valencia earned him an interview with Alvaro Arbeloa to obtain explanations. The meeting would have gone well but the unease is very palpable. To calm things down, the Madrid technician sent the young Jiménez back to Castilla. He has not appeared in the group since. But after Valencia, Carvajal only played the last half hour against Real Sociedad. This new affront materialized in yet another excess of anger in training, reveals the Spanish press. During an opposition, he lost his temper by making a particularly hard tackle from behind on poor Víctor Valdepeñas.
Sad end for a club legend
Verdict for the young central defender of Castilla: a knee injury and a month of infirmary. The consequences could have been very serious according to some witnesses to the incident. “It was a very violent tackle», says one of them to Marca. Carvajal is becoming a stone in Real’s shoes, after so many years of dominating their right wing and winning every possible title. He may be a club legend, but his situation is slowly turning into a fiasco. His solitude on the bench against Bayern and his stare into space spoke volumes. It’s probably time for this to end.
