Growing up as a kid, I wasn’t that vast with football, and the only team that caught my fancy back then was the Super Eagles of Nigeria, but out of curiosity to have in-depth knowledge about football, I was opportune to see the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Valencia, two teams from the same league. Then I realized I have a strong feeling for ‘Real Madrid’, would that pass as love at first sight?
Don’t get it twisted, this piece isn’t about me, but note we’re surely heading somewhere, so in that swashbuckling Real Madrid side, one position “Right Back’ got me thinking, with the dexterous manner in which Michel Salgado bumped forward to support the attack, and also does his primary assignment well, which is to defend, and out of curiosity I asked questions from those who are well experienced with football knowledge, then I was made to understand that before the turn of the millennium, Real Madrid and Spain national team right back has always been genuinely competitive with talented players, as such it’s quite evident to see Real Madrid parade one of the best right-backs in world football.
At some point, it was Michel Salgado, then Sergio Ramos a makeshift player though, and Alvaro Arbeloa, but now it is about a man Dani Carvajal. Sentiment apart, Real Madrid is one of the clubs around that you would see parade great and talented right back, right from the turn or before the turn of the millennium.
Sometimes, players failure to get into a team isn’t always about himself only, sometimes the manager of the team more often than not usually contribute to the failure, albeit the player also has a role to play, but then the manager usage of the player it’s very key in order to bring out the best in him.
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Proper usage of a player can work wonders sometimes, as such this is what depicts the career of Carvajal, as a young player age 20 who grew through the rank from Real Madrid Castilla, first-team opportunities in the famous Real Madrid jersey would be difficult, not because he isn’t good enough but because there is a pool of talent the manager could pick from.
Leverkusen
The Spaniard may have thought his agent was insane or rather pulling his legs when he suggested Bayern Leverkusen would be the ideal destination for him to crack the code of the right-back position at Madrid, so his first-ever appearance in professional football didn’t come in Spain, instead, it came in the black and red jersey of Leverkusen at the Bay Arena, Germany.
With first-team opportunities very hard to come by for him, during Mourinho’s reign, the right-back had to look elsewhere for playing time, as such the move to Germany did shape his career for good, and leaving Madrid at that age doesn’t mean the manager didn’t rate him, but the pool of talent in the team wouldn’t allow Carvajal get in the team.
When Carvajal left for Leverkusen, Real Madrid were wise enough to include a buy-back clause in his deal as part of the €5 million transfer, as Leverkusen signed him on a five-year deal, but with the buy-back clause included Real Madrid could get their man back for a reasonable fee during each of the first three summers.
Getting to Germany, Carvajal was very quiet and shy according to the team captain Simon Rolfes, “At the beginning, he was coming from Spain as a very young player and nobody knew him, he was training and very quiet” As time goes by, he did came out of his shell and became an extrovert, and also hit the ground running when the league season started in Germany for Sami Hyypia led side.
Carvajal was so good that his development at Leverkusen was on a high trajectory, and the German side style suited his game, so at the end of the league season, German newspaper Bild had him in their team of the season and was also voted third best right back in the Bundesliga, behind Augusto Uchida and Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm.
Having seen how good Carvajal was, the Spanish giant had to recall him after just one year stint with Leverkusen, during this period Carvajal wasn’t so happy to leave Germany, according to Rolfes “He was very sad because the team just qualified for the Champions League and he wanted to stay back to play, but Madrid had the chance to buy him back directly“.
Leaving his comfort zone was a big blessing for him, he left as a youngster and he returned as man, worked straight into the team,
“I learned a lot, especially by living alone there, by going to another country, by going to another league” “I matured a lot as a person, being young you acquire a lot of experience and the tactical and physical aspects make you a better player”.
Without mincing words, Carvajal’s stint at the BayArena saw him evolve into a more complete and a confident player, by the time the Spaniard returned to the Santiago Bernabeu, he was ready to crack the right-back code at Madrid, as the following season saw him won ‘La Decima’ from his preferred right-back position.
Carvajal Rise
Carvajal started to play fewer games and fewer minutes, with Danilo starting almost every La Liga game under Rafa Benitez. A blend of political pressure to start the new expensive Brazilian right-back from Fc Porto and re-occurring injuries to Dani Carvajal ensured that the Spaniard didn’t play many games for a significant stretch of time. Regardless of his awful performance, Danilo held his spot without question until Zinedine Zidane took over the affairs of the club.
Under the new manager, Carvajal did exactly what Danilo ought to have done: dispose of his rival to the bench. Carvajal played a fundamental role in Los Blanco’s run, helping the Spanish giant’s last push toward the end of the campaign. After such a fruitful end to the season, it was shocking for Madridistas to see his season end 51 minutes into the Champions League final he had worked so hard for.
However, his performances were nowhere close to the pinnacle. Zidane’s high volume crossing tactics may trouble lots of Los Blancos fans, but it’s a compelling methodology when a team has wing-backs as incredible as Marcelo and Dani Carvajal. From his right-back position, the Spaniard has record 21 assists in all competition and is tied for 7th in La Liga in total assists while making a total of 35 goalscoring chances.
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At the point when the stage is bigger, it seems as though Carvajal sparks shine brighter. His exceptional crosses were instrumental in the Real Madrid quest for European glory.
There has not exclusively been an amazing improvement in the attacking part of his game. The old issues of going back and forth and nobody is defending are no stress anymore. Indeed, there probably won’t be any right back that Madridistas would confide in protecting that right-back more. The hardcore, simple methodology that he has taken while bossing the position shows that he can be abrasive and thoughtful at the same time.
Carvajal became one of the best right-backs in the world, very instrumental in Madrid’s triumph in winning the Champions League thrice, he also won the league under Zinedine Zidane, featured 30 times in the league, with one goal and three assists and ever since then he has outgrown the tag ‘Wannabes’ to become one of the best gladiators in one of the best team on the planet.
“I consider myself a Madridista, I was born around Madrid, I have worn that shirt for 10 years and I feel Madrid to the core,” Carvajal told Marca as his Real return was being sown up and he could entertain thoughts of finally fulfilling that dream he had had while watching his idols as a boy.”
“It sounds like a myth, but it’s true. You think, ‘Imagine if one day I get to play down there at the Bernabeu.”
Since he returned to Madrid, he has been one of the key figures in the 15 titles won by Los Blancos, including four Champion League crowns and at 28. The Spaniard isn’t showing any sign of weakness, downturn, or him relinquishing his position even with the signings of Danilo who later left and Odriozola who was also loaned out to Bayern Munich.
Even of recent the name of Hakimi, has been going around to be the one to take over from him, following his two excellent seasons with Borussia Dortmund, but with Carvajal still in top shape and considering how the manager Zidane rates him, the 28 years old still remains untouchable at least for now as he continues to rule the right-back position at the Bernabeu.
The Numbers
Carvajal has played for Real Madrid in six competitions: League (110 matches), Champions League (35), Copa del Rey (11), Club World Cup (four), European Super Cup (three), and Spanish Super Cup (four). He has scored four goals for Real Madrid – with the most memorable coming in extra time of the third European Super Cup triumph – he’s also chipped in with 24 assists, 11 of them last season, his best on record from a statistical point of view.
The Spaniard has two more seasons left on his contract, his agent Ginés Carvajal has advised him to extend his current deal until 2026, with his ultimate goal being to retire at the Bernabéu. That would see him become a one-club man, a title that was not achieved by more recent fellow Fábrica academies grads such as Raúl, Casillas, and Guti.
Certainly, other players’ time would come, as it stands the best right in Madrid, made at the BayArena Leverkusen still remains the darling of all Los Blancos fans.
COVID-19 may have come like a thief in the night to rob the world off its normalcy, especially football, but then life is starting to resume at a rapid pace in La Liga, and as a result, Los Blancos would be facing their next opponent in Valencia on Thursday, and unfortunately, Carvajal is ruled out after suffering from ankle damage against Eiber on Sunday.
