Dani Carvajal

Daniel Carvajal Ramos (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈnjel kaɾβaˈxal ˈramos]; born 11 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs of his generation. He is currently a free agent.

Having risen through the Real Madrid youth ranks, Carvajal spent a season with Bayer Leverkusen before returning to Real Madrid. He joined the first team in 2013 and has since won 27 major trophies at Real Madrid including four La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles and a joint record six Champions League wins, a record he shares with Paco Gento, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos and Nacho.

At the youth international level, Carvajal won the 2011 European Championship with the under-19 team and the 2013 edition with the under-21 team. He made his senior debut in 2014, representing the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. In 2024, he was part of the Spain squad that won the UEFA European Championship. Carvajal also scored the decisive penalty at the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, securing Spain's first UEFA Nations League title.

Carvajal was born in Leganés, a suburb of Madrid. He joined Real Madrid's youth system as a 10-year-old, and continued climbing through the ranks until reaching Real Madrid Castilla in 2010.

In his first season as a senior, Carvajal was immediately cast in the reserve team's starting XI, also being the team's captain. In the following campaign, he fared even better (38 games and two goals, playoffs included), as the Bs returned to Segunda División after a five-year absence.

On 11 July 2012, after failing to make a single appearance for Real's first team, Carvajal signed a five-year contract with Germany's Bayer Leverkusen for a transfer fee of €5 million. The Spaniards added on a buy-back clause in the region of €6.5 million if they wanted to re-sign the player after one season, €7 million after two and approximately €8.5 million after three.

Carvajal made his Bundesliga debut on 1 September 2012 in a 2–0 home win against SC Freiburg, being subsequently named to the Team of the Week. He scored his first goal for his new club on 25 November, netting the second in an eventual 2–1 success at TSG Hoffenheim.

Carvajal was selected as one of the three best right backs at the end of his first and only season, behind Bayern Munich's Phillip Lahm and Schalke 04's Atsuto Uchida. He received 16% of the total vote from the fans.

On 3 June 2013, Real Madrid exercised their buy-back option on Carvajal, who became the team's first signing for 2013–14 for a fee believed to be in the region of €6.5 million. This was confirmed by Bayer's director of football Rudi Völler, who stated: "Real Madrid noticed the outstanding performances by Dani this season, and it was only a matter of time before they exercised their buy-back option." Shortly after the move, he spoke of his happiness to return, thanking the president, the fans and the club at a press conference.

Carvajal made his La Liga debut on 18 August 2013, in a 2–1 home win against Real Betis. One month later he played his first match in the UEFA Champions League, again featuring the full 90 minutes in a 6–1 away victory of Galatasaray in the group stage.

Carvajal appeared in 45 matches in his first season and scored twice, in the league against Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna. He added 120 minutes in the Champions League final, a 4–1 triumph over Atlético Madrid.

Carvajal started in Real Madrid's triumphs in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup over compatriots Sevilla, and in that year's FIFA Club World Cup final against Argentina's San Lorenzo de Almagro. In the first leg of the Champions League's semi-finals, on 5 May 2015, he conceded a penalty by fouling Carlos Tevez, with the Juventus forward converting the spot-kick to defeat the Spaniards 2–1.

On 8 July 2015, Carvajal signed a new deal with the Merengues until 2020. He contributed with eight appearances and one goal against Shakhtar Donetsk, in the campaign's Champions League, as the tournament ended in win; in the final against Atlético Madrid, he was subbed off injured early into the second half of a 1–1 draw (penalty shootout triumph).

Carvajal acted as backup to FC Barcelona's Martín Montoya at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, playing in the 3–0 group stage win against the Netherlands as Spain went on to win the tournament. He was selected by full side manager Vicente del Bosque for his 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, being excused alongside all other Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid players from the warm-up game against Bolivia on 30 May due to the Champions League final, and being omitted from the final list the following day.

On 29 August 2014, Carvajal received his first call-up to the Spanish senior squad for friendly matches against France and Macedonia. He debuted on 4 September in a 0–1 friendly loss to the former in which he played the full 90 minutes. In May 2016, Carvajal was selected in the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2016. However, on 30 May, he withdrew from the squad with a hamstring injury.

Carvajal was named in Spain's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After sitting out the first game against Portugal as he was not fully fit, he made his first appearance in the competition on 20 June and played the entire 1–0 win over Iran. He retained his place in the starting line-up for the final Group B fixture against Morocco, assisting Iago Aspas' stoppage time equaliser in the 2–2 draw. In the round of 16 loss to Russia, Carvajal appeared as a 70th-minute substitute for Nacho Fernández.

He once again missed out on the European Championships three years later, with manager Luis Enrique leaving him out of the Spain's UEFA Euro 2020 squad due to injury. Spain went on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, losing out to eventual champions Italy on penalties.

Carvajal was included in Spain's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, playing the full match against Germany and the second half against Japan during the group stage, as the team was again knocked out at the round of 16 in a penalty shootout against Morocco.

Carvajal played for Spain in the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, scoring the winning penalty via panenka in the final shoot-out against Croatia, following a goalless draw.

Carvajal is known for his consistency, aggressive style, and his ability to assist his team both in defence and attack. A tenacious and tactically intelligent player, defensively he is known for his positioning, mentality, tackling, anticipation, and ability to intercept loose balls. Going forward, he also possesses excellent technical skills and crossing, as well as an ability to get forward with his overlapping runs due to this awareness. In terms of his physical qualities, he also stands out for his speed, energy, and work-rate, despite his diminutive stature. He is also highly regarded for his leadership qualities. Despite his ability, he has often struggled with injuries throughout his career. Brazilian former right-back Cafu described Carvajal as one of the best right-backs in the world in 2018.

Carvajal is married to Daphne Cañizares, with whom he has a child. His wife's twin sister Melanie is married to Carvajal's former Madrid teammate Joselu. His father is an inspector in the National Police.

On 8 April 2026, Carvajal was put under investigation by a judge in Andorra for allegations of illegal watch smuggling.

La Liga: 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24

Supercopa de España: 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024

UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24

UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024

FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022