Carvajal bids farewell to Real Madrid. Photo: Reuters .
The Athletic reports that Carvajal will leave the Bernabeu this summer on a free transfer, ending his 13-year stint at Real Madrid. After more than a decade with the club, Carvajal is reportedly looking for new challenges rather than continuing to play a reserve role in the Royal team's future plans.
One of the key reasons for this decision is Real Madrid's personnel strategy change. The coaching staff reportedly wants to build a new system with Trent Alexander-Arnold as the first-choice right-back. This has significantly reduced Carvajal's playing opportunities.
The 2025/26 season was also a difficult time for Carvajal, as he constantly suffered injuries. He only played 21 matches in all competitions and was no longer able to maintain the same level of influence as before.
The defender, born in 1992, left a tremendous legacy at Bernabeu. Since returning from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, Carvajal played 449 games for Real Madrid and won a host of major titles, most notably six Champions League titles and four La Liga titles.
Not only successful at club level, Carvajal has also been a key player for the Spanish national team for many years. However, being left out of the preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup is seen as a sad ending for the 34-year-old defender.