Having returned home for almost 50 million euros, Álvaro Carreras (22) has already established himself as one of Real Madrid’s best recent investments. Long considered a bet for the future, the former Benfica player finally justifies the confidence placed in him by the Merengue club. Trained at Castilla before flying to England and then Portugal, Carreras completed an atypical journey. But his return to Real this summer seems obvious: at 22, he embodies the prototype of the modern full-back – fast, technical and generous in effort.
Since the start of the season, the Madrilenian is quite simply the most sought-after player in the group: he has already recorded 1,184 balls touched, 883 passes completed and 791 successful transmissions, figures worthy of a midfielder. “He provides a constant solution to the recovery and plays with a rare maturity for his age”confided, in this capacity, a member of the Madrid staff for the daily A.S.. His rise, for his return to Madrid, however, was not linear. After a disappointing performance during the derby against Atlético, Carreras was singled out for his defensive approximations.
In the tradition of Roberto Carlos and Marcelo
Criticisms that he was able to transform into motivation: since then, he has had a string of solid performances and has even just scored a sumptuous goal against Valencia, a tense strike from the edge of the area. “Since I arrived, I have always said that I was going to support the team as much as possible. Sometimes I play more defense. Today (Saturday, editor’s note), I was able to move a little further up front. I’m super happy to be here and I hope there will be many more (goals scored). The €50M spent on my transfer? These are not my things. I dreamed of coming here. This concerns the clubs, I don’t get involved. They reached an agreement and that’s it.”confided the person concerned after his new brilliant performance against Valencia.
Serene and sure of his strength, the native of Ferrol does not intend to stop there. “I know that I can still improve, especially in managing duels and passes under pressure”added, in this capacity, the 1m86 left-hander. After Roberto Carlos and Marcelo, Carreras knows, in fact, that he is evolving under the weight of an immense heritage. A pressure which, however, does not prevent him from charting his own path. “I always say that these kinds of things are not planned, they come from the heart and thank God, this first goal with this jersey happened and I am super happy about it. It’s a great source of pride, in the end these things happen naturally, I was in no hurry”finally recognized the former Manchester United player. One thing is certain, if he continues this momentum, the young full-back could well become Madrid’s new reference on the left flank, and a pillar of La Roja in the medium term.
