Real Madrid Says Goodbye to Daniel Carvajal After 13 Seasons

• May 18, 2026 | 14:20
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Real Madrid has officially announced the departure of Daniel Carvajal, the club’s captain and a legend, at the end of the current season after 13 campaigns with the first team. Carvajal, 34, will not renew his contract with the club, marking the end of a long and illustrious career that began 24 years ago when he joined the Real Madrid academy, "La Fabrica."

Carvajal, who has won six Champions League titles, has secured 27 trophies with the club and was a key part of one of the most golden periods in the club’s history. The defender will be honored at the Bernabeu on Saturday before the final match of La Liga against Athletic Bilbao.

“Real Madrid and our captain Daniel Carvajal have agreed to end a wonderful stage as a player of our club at the end of the current season. Real Madrid wishes to express its gratitude and its love for one of the greatest legends of our club and the world of football. Carvajal is one of the five players in the history of football to have won six European Champion Cups, and he is part of a team that created one of the most brilliant eras in our history,” the club said in a statement.

Carvajal joined Real Madrid in 2002 and has defended the club’s colors for 23 seasons: 10 in the academy and 13 in the first team. He won 27 titles with the team, including six European Champion Cups, six FIFA Club World Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, four La Liga titles, two King’s Cups, and four Spanish Super Cups.

Individually, Carvajal was included in the FIFPro World XI for 2024, received the FIFA Best Men’s XI award for 2024, and was named the best player in the 2024 Champions League final, where he scored a goal. Carvajal has played 450 matches for the club, scoring 14 goals. With the Spanish national team, he has 51 matches, winning the Euro 2024 and the Nations League in 2023.

For Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, "Daniel Carvajal is a legend and a symbol of Real Madrid and its academy. His image next to our dear and unforgettable Alfredo Di Stefano at the laying of the first stone of 'Ciudad Real Madrid' will remain forever in the hearts of all Madridists and the history of our club. Carvajal has always represented the values of Real Madrid in an exemplary manner. This is and will always be his home."

Real Madrid wishes Daniel Carvajal and his family all the best in this new chapter of his life.

The Bernabeu stadium will pay tribute to him this Saturday on the occasion of the last La Liga match that our team will play.

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