Real Madrid Receive Crucial Injury Boost For Spanish Super Cup Charge

Xabi Alonso’s depleted backline could add a much needed reinforcement.

Kylian Mbappé (left) and Dani Carvajal won’t feature in Real Madrid’s opening game of 2026. / Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Injuries have become a major problem for Real Madrid at the halfway point of the season, but the return to training of club captain Dani Carvajal this week was a welcome sight as he aims to be ready and available for the Spanish Super Cup next week.

Carvajal underwent arthroscopic surgery after suffering a knee injury in Real Madrid’s El Clásico win in late October. The veteran skipper hasn’t featured for the club since, but made his return to team training this week 70 days after going under the knife.

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Few players have experienced worse injury luck than Carvajal in recent times. The veteran’s 2025 was absolutely wrecked by major fitness issues, and he’s only played in 20 of the 93 games Los Blancos have played since the start of the 2025–26 season, per MARCA.

With summer signing Trent-Alexander Arnold also battling injuries the entire term, Xabi Alonso has been without his two natural right backs for much of the campaign, forcing him to deploy players out of position—usually Federico Valverde—to fill the void.

But as 2026 begins, the hope is Carvajal is ready to return to action when Real Madrid face city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal on Jan. 8. The returning captain could enhance Los Blancos’ chances of collecting the first piece of silverware of the season in Spanish soccer, but for Carvajal himself, it’s a golden opportunity to rediscover his form ahead of the climax of the term.

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Six Crucial Months For Carvajal’s Future

Dani Carvajal is the longest tenured player in Real Madrid’s squad. / Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Entering the second half of the season, Carvajal’s future hangs in the balance on multiple fronts. The level he displays from now until the end of the season will have lasting ramifications on what transpires in the twilight of his career.

Following a stellar 2023–24 season, Carvajal‘s injury issues began when he tore his ACL in Oct. 2024, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2024–25 season. Real Madrid extended his contract a day after his injury, tying him to the club until the summer of 2026.

Carvajal has played just nine official matches for Los Blancos since, and with his 34th birthday just days away, he’s entering the final six months of his contract.

If the club legend wants to extend his career with the 15-time European monarchs, then putting behind his constant fitness woes and rediscovering his level is essential. If he manages to do that, he could be rewarded by much more than a contract renewal.

If healthy and performing, it’s almost guaranteed that Carvajal will be Luis de la Fuente’s starter for Spain in the 2026 World Cup. Carvajal was key to La Roja’s 2024 Euros triumph and he remains one of the leaders of a team that’s touted as favorites to win the tournament next summer.

Carvajal’s return comes at a crucial time. With his future very much uncertain, he has the rest of the season to showcase he’s still capable of consistently performing at the highest level, as he has for the vast majority of his career.

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