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Where Does Dani Carvajal Rank Among Real Madrid’s All-Time Greats?
The tributes said it all.
When Dani Carvajal’s Real Madrid summer departure was made official on Monday, the outpouring from the great and good of the game was immediate.
Vinicius Jr hailed the “best full back in history,” while Álvaro Arbeloa claimed that Carvajal “might be the most important academy product in the history of the club.”
Federico Valverde, the man expected to inherit the captain’s armband, wrote on Instagram: “My children, and the children of future Madrid fans, will know who Dani Carvajal was.”
The great Sergio Ramos called his former teammate a “true reflection of Madridismo.”
There are few players in modern soccer like Carvajal. The 34-year-old, whose association with Los Blancos began back in 2002, will leave Madrid this summer with 450 appearances, 27 trophies and countless memories from the club’s greatest nights.
As part of his goodbye message Carvajal told supporters: “Only those who have lived these moments in this stadium can truly understand the magic felt when this club dares to defy the impossible. But the journey hasn’t always been easy: there were injuries, challenges, and moments of doubt that tested me. Yet I always got back up, because this badge taught me to never give up.”
The Bernabéu will pay tribute to one of its icons this Saturday as the defender gets one final run out in Real Madrid’s last fixture of the 2025–26 season against Athletic Club.
After that, he will look for only the third club of his senior career, with his only other spell away from Madrid a season spent at Bayer Leverkusen in 2012–13.
What Did Carvajal Win at Real Madrid?
In his 13 years and 450 appearances with Real Madrid’s first team, Caravjal won a scarcely believable 27 trophies—equivalent to one title every 17 games.
Among his honors, he has four La Liga trophies, two Copas del Rey and six Champions Leagues.
It is Carvajal’s triumphs in Europe that leave the biggest legacy. No player in soccer history has won more Champions League crowns than the veteran right back—only Madrid legends Luka Modrić and Paco Gento have equalled his tally.
Carvajal will depart as the second-most trophied player in Real Madrid’s history, having won 27 titles with the club. Modrić is the only player with more (28), while Carvajal sits ahead of the likes of Nacho Fernández (26), Marcelo (25) and Karim Benzema (25) in the club’s all-time winners list.
At international level, meanwhile, he has lifted the 2024 European Championships and 2022–23 Nations League with Spain.
Carvajal’s Complete Trophy List at Real Madrid:
Competition | Year |
|---|---|
La Liga (4) | 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24 |
Copa del Rey (2) | 2013–14, 2022–23 |
Supercopa de España (4) | 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024 |
UEFA Champions League (6) | 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24 |
UEFA Super Cup (5) | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024 |
FIFA Club World Cup (5) | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
Carvajal’s Best Moment
Carvajal rose highest 😤#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/9UWUKWZNyY
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 2, 2024
In a career so closely associated with the Champions League, it’s only fitting that Carvajal’s finest hour came in the final of Europe’s top competition.
Caravajal won the record-equalling sixth European crown at Wembley in 2024, as Real Madrid beat Dortmund 2–0, with the right back putting in a man-of-the-match performance.
It was Carvajal who put his team on the path to victory in London, rising high to head home from a Toni Kroos corner to score Madrid’s first on the night.
He later celebrated the victory in the streets of Madrid with his father, who was on duty as part of the trophy parade detail as a policeman.
The same year, after also winning the Euros with Spain, Carvajal was voted fourth in the Ballon d’Or rankings and made The Best FIFA Men’s 11.
Where Does Carvajal Rank Among Real Madrid Greats?
There’s no doubt that Carvajal will go down in Madrid history as one of the club’s best players of all time, with a near-unmatched trophy haul during a golden period for the club.
The fact that Carvajal was able to rise up from the academy, fight off competition and maintain his place in the team during a period of such success is testament to his quality and longevity.
His achievements, from La Décima to Dortmund, mean he will never be forgotten.
Where Does Carvajal Rank Among Soccer’s Greatest Full Backs?
In terms of full backs, Vinicius Jr’s assessment that Carvajal is the “best in history” is certainly not a ridiculous claim.
Never flashy, but always reliable and a true big-game player, few can match the right back’s consistency at the very pinnacle of the sport. In addition to his technical qualities, Carvajal grew to become a formidable leader on the pitch whose drive and spirit inspired those around him.
He will be remembered alongside the likes of Marcelo and Roberto Carlos among Madrid—and soccer’s—best-ever full backs.
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Andy Headspeath is a Real Madrid correspondent for Sports Illustrated FC. Originally from the UK, the weather, culture and soccer lured him to Spain over a decade ago where he lives with his wife, son and two untrainable dogs. A player of unspeakably limited talents and only one fully functional knee, he has more than a decade's experience in a wide variety of editorial roles within sports media, from match reporting to in-depth feature writing and interviews. He specializes in soccer history and culture, as well as—of course—La Liga.