Dani Carvajal had a great season last year, playing a key role in Real Madrid winning the Champions League title by opening the scoring from an assist by Toni Kroos. It was a very sweet year that gave way to a gray one for the team in terms of results and for the full-back, who missed much of the season due to an untimely injury that greatly hurt the team, as Lucas Vázquez was not able to fill in for the captain as expected.
The Real Madrid full-back was injured on October 5 against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu. It was in a play against Yeremi Pino as the match was entering its final stages. Once the relevant tests had been carried out, the worst news was confirmed. The Leganés player’s injury was nothing less than a triple rupture: anterior cruciate ligament, external collateral ligament, and popliteal tendon rupture. He was out for the entire season.
Carvajal working to return for the World Cup
In principle, with such a serious injury, the player would miss the entire season, but in this case there is a special circumstance, namely the Club World Cup. The Madrid full-back set his sights on June 18, the day of Madrid’s debut in the World Cup, and began working with that goal in mind. It looks like he will be able to achieve his goal, as Dani Carvajal is expected to be able to build up minutes and get into the swing of things during the FIFA tournament.
The full-back has proven himself to be a fighter, as his work ethic and sacrifice to get back to fitness have been admirable. Even the medical staff at Valdebebas could not believe Dani’s work ethic and how he was getting back to fitness so quickly.
Carvajal’s plans for the future
The player’s immediate future lies in the Club World Cup, which Real Madrid is approaching with a winning mentality. The Whites want the title at all costs to make history, to make up for a poor season and to give Xabi Alonso the best possible start. Florentino is determined and has promised the players a bonus of one million euros if they win the title.
Dani Carvajal is clear that the only option is to win. “At the end of the day, it’s a new competition, a super world cup, as the name suggests, with the best teams in the world competing, and I think both the club and I personally are very excited about it. Mixing different types of soccer, different leagues, different continents makes it very special. This year we’ve already played against both Pachuca and Salzburg. We have that previous experience and we’re looking forward to the first day,” said the full-back in an interview with FIFA’s official media.
Beyond the World Cup, the Real Madrid captain’s contract expires on June 30, and during the interview he spoke about his future. “Yes, I’ve already said in interviews that the day I’m no longer here at Real Madrid or the day we decide together not to continue, I’d like to try another league outside Europe, and the MLS is one of the options,” said the Madrid full-back.
In principle, if all goes well and the player returns to good form after his injury, he is expected to renew for at least one more season with Real Madrid, so, in principle, his departure could wait until 2027, but everything will be decided in due course. For now, the goal is the Club World Cup, competing for the position with Alexander-Arnold and winning titles in what is, for the moment, his last year of contract.