Dani Carvajal interview: Real Madrid, Spain right-back on Euros win, Gibraltar chant and club future
Dani Carvajal has won almost everything there is to win at the elite level — but even by his standards, this summer was exceptional.
The 32-year-old right-back played a key role in Real Madrid’s run to the Champions League final and then, at Wembley, he was the unlikely scorer of a 74th-minute header that set Madrid on their way to a record-extending 15th title in that game against Borussia Dortmund.
Little over a month later, Carvajal was lifting the European Championship after Spain beat England 2-1 in the final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. He formed an impressive partnership with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal down the right and became a hero in his home country after one — ahem — unorthodox challenge to stop Germany’s Jamal Musiala earned him a red card in the quarter-final against the hosts.
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Here, The Athletic sits down for an exclusive interview with Carvajal to talk about everything from that Euros win to Kylian Mbappe’s adaptation at Madrid, the Gibraltar chant that has seen his international team-mates Rodri and Alvaro Morata sanctioned by UEFA and whether he would play in Major League Soccer…
How do you assess the team that won the Euros — and Lamine Yamal in particular?
“We have a great group. There’s a good atmosphere and a relationship of respect and admiration that helps the group overcome adversity in the most complicated moments.
“It seems incredible at Yamal’s age (he turned 17 in July) that he is already in the elite, at a club like Barcelona and with the national team. He has adapted very well to the group. He is still a kid (laughs), so you have to keep your feet on the ground — but he’s a great kid.”
You caused a stir when you pulled back Musiala late in Spain’s quarter-final against Germany. Talk us through it.
“It was more of a meme than anything else. I never tried to hurt Jamal but to cut off the counter-attack. He produced a very good touch, overtook me and in the end, I tried to grab him — I grabbed him by the neck but I could have grabbed him from another place.”
Carvajal’s unorthodox challenge on Musiala (Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images)
How did you prepare for the final against England and how do you see them as a team?
“We’d done our analysis, we know their strongest points — Jude Bellingham on the left who goes inside or Bukayo Saka who goes wide, we tried to contain them. But we played better, we tried to offer more and in the end, that goal from Mikel Oyarzabal won us the Euros.
“They are very competitive, they have very talented players and they are capable. They reached the final of the last two Euros — that shows they have a very good generation of young players at a high level.”
Carvajal with his Euros winners’ medal (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
What did you think of Morata and Rodri’s Gibraltar chant at the trophy celebrations in Madrid and the fallout from it?
Morata and Rodri chanted, “It’s Spanish, Gibraltar is Spanish” at the trophy celebrations in Madrid, referencing the British territory on Spain’s south coast. UEFA gave them one-match bans after the Gibraltar Football Association lodged a complaint with European football’s governing body, citing “extremely provocative and insulting” behaviour.
“There has been a lot of talk about that but at no time was it something to offend or start a conflict. Simply, Spain has always competed with England for Gibraltar, which is on the Iberian peninsula and it was a final against England. Before the final, there was already a little echo with that chant and we won and (the chant) became a bit more of a joke. If anyone has felt offended, we apologise from the group but come on, at no time did they (England) ever say that they were offended.”
How do you see the Madrid side after Mbappe’s arrival?
“It’s been an important change after Toni Kroos, Nacho and Joselu left us. With the arrival of Kylian, the coach has to adapt to all the great players we have.
“In Mallorca and Las Palmas (games Madrid drew 1-1 last month), we lacked a bit of continuity in our play, but we’re going to get there. The other day against Real Betis (a 2-0 win), the team showed good signs, we played a pretty complete game and from now, after the international break, we will put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Carvajal with Mbappe and Vinicius Junior during Madrid’s recent La Liga match against Valladolid (Diego Souto/Getty Images)
Do you see any problems caused by having so many players who normally thrive on the left flank?
“It’s clear that the three (Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior) feel comfortable playing on the left — but last year I had a lot of space on the wing and it boosted my attacking play a lot. This year, I don’t think there will be any problems. When you don’t have the ball, you have to be structured but when you have the ball, the coach gives us more freedom. The system is up to the coach, he’s the one who decides.”
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Did Kroos’ retirement at 34 make you think about your future and whether you’d like to retire at Madrid?
“I have until next summer on my contract. I’m not considering retirement at the moment. I talk about it with my family: I want to enjoy every game, every training session. As the years go by, you realise you have to give more value to every moment and enjoy it.
“The relationship I have with the club is very transparent, very clear. If both parties agree to continue, I hope to stay here for many years.”
You’ve been at Madrid since you were a boy. How do you evaluate Florentino Perez’s impact as president?
“He’s the best president. He has done nothing but improve the sports complex, the stadium, he has financial solvency with the signings, he’s the leader and the absolute boss of the club. It’s very important that nobody is above the president and his work at Real Madrid is spectacular.”
Carvajal at Spain’s Las Rozas training base on the outskirts of Madrid (Guillermo Rai/The Athletic)
You’ve been injury-free and in great form for a few years after several problems (injuries meant he missed out on Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 with Spain). What’s been key to that?
(Bangs his head for good luck, a common gesture in Spain) “I like to train, I like doing cardio and I’ve tried kickboxing because I prefer it to running. But the truth is that I’ve been working on my fitness and injuries for two years now and I think I’ve found the key to my rest, diet and routines. It makes me a bit angry to have discovered it so late, but that’s the way things are and I’m proud to have overcome difficult times with injuries. When you fall and get back up, things taste better.”
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Would the United States appeal to you if you did leave Madrid?
“It’s a possibility. When I decide not to be at Real Madrid, I’m not going to play in Europe and the alternatives are much reduced.”
So that could be the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia..?
“Exactly, it would be one of those three options.”
The right-back lifts last season’s Champions League trophy at Madrid’s celebrations (Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
You’re seen as an example for academy players at Madrid — the ‘Via Carvajal’ (‘Carvajal route’) refers to how youngsters leave before returning on a favourable buy-back clause, as you did when you left for a year at Bayer Leverkusen in 2012. What do you think of that?
“It is a tremendous source of pride to be a mirror for many of them. To be in Madrid’s first team you need a very high level, especially in midfield and attack — that’s why they’ve resorted to transfers for their youngsters with an option to buy. The Via Carvajal is an alternative I made and it worked out very well — it’s useful to develop the boys and see how they can perform at a high level.”
Are there any Madrid youngsters who stand out to you?
“Nico Paz (who joined Como this summer) is a great player, Mario Martin (who left for Real Valladolid on loan) too, (defender) Jacobo Ramon, (centre-back) Joan Martinez who is injured, Yusi is doing very well at left-back. They can have a future.”
(Top photo: Getty Images; design by Eamonn Dalton)
