Dani Carvajal Spanish Footballer From Leganés

Early life

Daniel Carvajal Ramos was born on 11 January 1992 in Leganés, a town on the edge of Madrid. He joined the youth system of Real Madrid at around the age of ten and worked his way through its age groups. In 2010 he reached Real Madrid Castilla, the club's reserve side, where he was made captain in his first season as a senior. The following year the team earned promotion back to the Segunda División after an absence of five years.

Career

In July 2012, without having played a competitive match for Real Madrid's first team, Carvajal signed a five-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of 5 million euros. The deal gave Real Madrid an option to buy him back. He made his Bundesliga debut on 1 September 2012 against Freiburg, scored his first goal in November at Hoffenheim, and in a fan vote at the end of the season he was named among the three best right-backs in the German league.

Real Madrid used the buy-back option on 3 June 2013, and he became their first signing for the 2013–14 season. His La Liga debut came on 18 August 2013 against Real Betis. He played 45 matches in that first season and took part in the Champions League final, a 4–1 win over Atlético Madrid after extra time. He later started the 2014 UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup final of the same year, and signed new contracts in 2015, 2017 and 2021.

Further Champions League titles followed. He was in the squad that won the 2016 final against Atlético on penalties, the 2017 final and the 2018 final, and he scored in the 2024 final, a 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund, with a header. With that victory he and Luka Modrić became the first players to win six finals of the competition. In the UEFA Super Cup of August 2016 he scored the decisive 3–2 goal in the 119th minute against Sevilla.

During the 2024–25 season he became vice-captain after Nacho's departure, and his contract was extended until 2026. He returned to the pitch as a substitute against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the 2025 Club World Cup. In the 2025–26 season he became captain of the club after Modrić left. On 18 May 2026 he announced that he would leave Real Madrid at the end of that season, after 13 years and more than 400 matches. His spell at the club ran from 2013 to 2026.

He is a right-back who is known for his positioning, tackling and speed, and for getting forward on overlapping runs.

Public roles

At youth level Carvajal won the 2011 European Under-19 Championship and was a member of the Spain squad that won the 2013 European Under-21 Championship. He received his first call-up to the senior team on 29 August 2014 and made his debut on 4 September in a friendly against France.

He was named in Spain's squad for the 2018 World Cup, appearing in the group stage and the round of 16, and he played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals he scored the winning penalty, with a panenka, in the shoot-out against Croatia, which gave Spain its first title in the competition. At UEFA Euro 2024 he scored his first international goal on 15 June 2024 against Croatia, and Spain went on to win the tournament by beating England in the final. He was not part of the squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Recognition

Carvajal's honours with Real Madrid include four La Liga titles (2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22 and 2023–24), two Copa del Rey titles, four Supercopa de España titles, five UEFA Super Cups and five FIFA Club World Cups, along with six Champions League titles. He was part of the Segunda División B winning team with Real Madrid Castilla in 2011–12.

Among his individual selections are the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season in 2013–14, 2016–17 and 2023–24, and the FIFA Men's World 11, FIFPRO Men's World 11 and IFFHS Men's World Team in 2024.

Personal life

Carvajal is married to Daphne Cañizares, and they have a child. Her twin sister Melanie is married to Joselu, a former Real Madrid teammate of his.