A changing of the guard has slowly been taking place at Real Madrid, as the legends of the 2010s and the three peat era are leaving or retiring, and the last remaining vestige of that era is right back Dani Carvajal. After undergoing knee surgery in October and returning in January, Carvajal has remained just as much of a ghost while healthy as he was when injured.
The Real Madrid legend has cut an increasingly frustrated figure at the club. He has been discarded for summer signing Trent Alexander-Arnold, which should have honestly come as no surprise to him. But even the young Victor Valdepenas and David Jimenez have shown more bite to them than Carvajal, who looks genuinely past it, which, despite him not understanding it, has to be the reason why his former senior right back Alvaro Arbeloa has left him on the bench.
According to MARCA's Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa, Dani Carvajal feels demoralized that he is no longer a key protagonist for Real Madrid. Over the last few weeks of being eschewed for Trent as the main man at right back, Carvajal has cast a more forelorn figure, and even fans are noticing how he is no longer a real leader for this team despite his accomplishments and years of stature at Madrid.
Dani Carvajal is discarded
Many fans are wondering if a certain incident with Valdepenas this season has cast a long shadow that has dampened Carvajal's influence and legacy on the club. In a moment of frustration and perhaps jealousy at losing a spot to a young up and comer, Carvajal rashly dove in and injured Valdepenas in a training session, with MARCA referencing the incident that other outlets had already covered earlier this season.
It is hard to know what really happened, but it is telling that since then, Real Madrid and Dani Carvajal have not been the same. And Alvaro Arbeloa has not exactly looked up to Carvajal has an option in games, nor has the Spanish international stood out as a leader in any regard.
Carvajal's time at Real Madrid is coming to an end. Trent Alexander-Arnold is in the here and now, and besides him, Real Madrid have several young players who could be solutions in the future. The sadness and bitter resentment Carvajal feels need to leave soon, because this is not the lasting impression Carva wants at the club before he presumably rides off into the sunset in the Saudi Pro League.