Real Madrid Legend Dani Carvajal Explains Shirt Number at Getafe

Earlier this week, La Liga side Getafe announced the signing of Real Madrid modern day great Dani Carvajal.

This is the 34 year old’s first club since departing the Bernabeu upon the expiry of his contract at the end of June, having spent 23 of the previous 24 years at the club (with one season spent at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen).

During the player’s unveiling, he held up his shirt with his name and also his number, which will be 14.

When asked why he will be wearing that number, the full-back (via MadridXtra) said: “I had the choice between 12 and 14, and honestly, I liked 14 better. It’s the number my brother-in-law Joselu wore during his time at Real Madrid.

Hopefully, it brings me the same good luck it brought him (at Real Madrid), as he did really well. So, I’m sure it will turn out well for me, too.”

Very nice gesture. As he touches on there, him and Joselu are brothers in law, with their partners twin sisters. The two had trained together in Madrid to keep fit for their eventual new clubs (Joselu recently joined Qatari outfit Al-Sailiya). 

They played together during the 23/24 season, which was another historical campaign for the club, and still the last successful season Real Madrid have had. As was alluded to by Carvajal there, Joselu certainly played no small part in that success, scoring many crucial goals, often off the bench - most notably against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League final second leg. Nobody will ever forget that - "of course we'll have a look".  

Interestingly, Carvajal also said that he has not given up hope of returning to the Spain national team in the future, having been left out of the FIFA World Cup squad by manager Luis de la Fuente, and thus missing out on a winners medal. 

With Marcos Llorente retiring from international football, perhaps that door could reopen for the Real Madrid legend, if he can keep himself fit and produce consistent performances with Getafe in La Liga and in the UEFA Conference League. 

It felt like when Carvajal signed for Getafe, it was the perfect move for him both sporting wise and personally, the latter of which he confirmed during his unveiling, saying: "When the offer came in, it met all the requirements that my family and I were demanding. 

I had offers from other European clubs to play in the Champions League even, but as of today, my priority is my wife and my children." Fair play to him. He can stay in Spain, stay in Madrid, and still play at a good level. No doubt every Real Madrid fan wishes him all the very best at Getafe, and cannot wait to welcome him back to the Bernabeu on the 3rd of January.