Dani Carvajal is going through the most difficult moment of his career. At 34, a new foot injury is keeping him from playing; Real Madrid appears unlikely to renew his contract; and the World Cup is slipping away.
At 34, Dani Carvajal is going through possibly the most difficult moment of his entire career. The Spanish fullback, who has lived through practically every stage possible in football, has just received the final blow: an injury with which he now says goodbye to everything. He will not renew with Real Madrid; it is almost impossible for him to be on the World Cup roster, and it is difficult for him to play again for the rest of the season. Carvajal has said goodbye to everything.
The latest bad news came after suffering a fracture of the distal phalanx of the fifth toe of his right foot, an injury that will force him to miss almost all of what remains of Madrid's La Liga campaign and his last hope of qualifying for the World Cup. If his presence already seemed complicated after his limited playing time since his return, now the scenario is even more delicate. To say the least, impossible.
At Madrid, his farewell points to a recovery attempt ahead of the final league matchday at the Bernabeu, given the timelines being handled at Valdebebas, and that he will be out for between two and three weeks. A final match against Athletic to say goodbye to what will always be his home after 13 seasons wearing the white shirt.
Added to this is the end of the contractual relationship with Real Madrid. Carvajal's contract ends on June 30, and the club has already decided some time ago not to offer him a renewal. A decision that also concerns his limited role in the final stretch of the season.
His sad goodbye to Madrid, as a substitute, after being hit by injuries and in open conflict with the coach, puts the finishing touch on an especially difficult year. After overcoming the serious injury that kept him away from the playing fields for almost a year, the fullback has suffered several physical problems that have prevented him from returning to normalcy.
And when he seemed to begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, he encountered another reality: less playing time than expected and insufficient opportunities to regain competitive rhythm. All of this is pending a renewal that the club will not offer him. And a World Cup that is also slipping away from him. Carvajal says goodbye to two of his great goals from the start of the season.
Oct. 5, 2024, marked a before-and-after in his career. The tears with which he left the Santiago Bernabeu pitch reflected the difficult process ahead of him. At that moment, Carvajal was going through one of the best periods of his career after finding the key to stop his recurring muscle injuries, and the prospect of being almost a year without wearing the Madrid shirt was a blow very difficult to digest.
His return to the group was gradual. The fullback was aware of the severity of his injury and knew he had to take it step by step. He understood that regaining his best form would require patience and that the risk of new physical problems remained. But he never thought it would be so difficult. And so it happened.
He played his first league matches without too many setbacks, but he came out injured in the derby against Atletico and again slowed his recovery. One month out, return against Barcelona and another new setback: a loose articular body in his right knee that would end up being the hardest blow of all.
Two more months out and a return to the squad in the first league match of 2026. However, since then, his playing time has been minimal: 26 call-ups, only four starts, 14 matches without playing a single minute, and barely 442 minutes on the pitch. There were several clashes with the white coach that ultimately ruined his last year in white.
Numbers that reflect a brutal end to the season and paint the cruelest possible farewell for one of the great recent legends of Real Madrid. A final blow that points to a sad ending at Madrid... and with Spain.
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