3 forgotten Real Madrid players from the 2010’s worth remembering
3. Ricardo Carvalho
Whenever we discuss about the centre-backs of Real Madrid in the last decade, we take the names of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raphael Varane, and even Nacho. But Ricardo Carvalho, who was once a starter for the club, is often forgotten.
Ricardo Carvalho was targetted by Real Madrid a lot of times when he was at Chelsea, but they couldn’t get him because of Jose Mourinho. But the club finally got their man in 2010, for 8 million euros, just days after Jose Mourinho became the Real Madrid manager. He reunited with the man who trained him at Porto and led his team to a Champions League title. He was signed at the age of 32, and if I’m not wrong he has to be the oldest player signed by the club in the last decade.
He was in his thirties, but he adapted well with age and played for Real Madrid as a regular starter. He was a vital cog of Real Madrid’s backline, forming a rock-solid duo with Pepe. He played the whole 120 minutes in that historic Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona, and had a great game, maintaining a clean sheet.
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He couldn’t play a lot in 2011/12, due to injuries that kept him out on the sidelines for a long while. These long-term injuries changed Mourinho’s view of Carvalho as an aging defender, and the Portuguese manager made it clear that he wouldn’t count on the defender next season. But Carvalho continued at the club for another year, won another trophy, and played more than 1500 minutes whilst not being the first choice. He then left for AS Monaco in 2013, joining them as a free agent.
He joined the club in search of a new challenge, and did well at the club, winning three titles in his three years at Real Madrid.