Real Madrid’s captain passes the test amid race against the clock

Dani Carvajal traveled to London last week for a series of knee tests at a world‑renowned specialist clinic. The Real Madrid captain, who tore his ACL, lateral collateral ligament, and popliteus tendon in his right knee in October 2024, was forced to stop again last October due to the presence of an “intra‑articular loose body” in his kneecap - a problem that had been bothering him for some time. But the issue has now been resolved, or at least that’s what is stated in the medical report the six‑time Champions League winner passed along to the club’s medical staff.

Carvajal chasing World Cup berth

There are 120 days left before Spain plays its 2026 World Cup opener in Atlanta, and the conversations between Carvajal and head coach Luis de la Fuente have been frequent. The coach hopes the fullback regains consistent playing time as soon as possible, but breaking into the starting XI has not been easy for him. Carvajal has been a regular in matchday squads since the start of the year. He was included on the January 4 roster for the match against Real Betis, but since then has logged barely half an hour of game time. His benching in the most recent match - against Valencia, in favor of academy product David Jiménez - was the final straw. His visibly frustrated post‑game exchange with fitness coach Antonio Pintus at Mestalla set off alarm bells.

Carvajal made the trip to England accompanied by Antonio Rüdiger, who knew the London clinic from his Chelsea days and also took the opportunity to undergo a check‑up. The visit helped clear up concern about that “loose body” causing worry in Valdebebas. Nothing serious. He’s fit to play. But he’s not playing. And the countdown to the World Cup has begun, with De la Fuente needing every candidate for the final roster to be active and getting minutes every weekend. For Carvajal, capped 52 times and a European champion with Spain, representing his country is a point of pride, and next summer’s tournament may well be his final major international competition. He doesn’t want to miss it - and he needs to get back into the lineup as soon as possible.

A factor in Carvajal’s favor

What plays in his favor is that Álvaro Arbeloa has now come around to the club’s view that every player should feature in the position for which he was developed or signed. The logic is clear: a fullback like Jiménez, who has spent a decade playing the position, understands it better than someone like Fede Valverde, no matter how talented the Uruguayan is. And of course, Carvajal knows it even better. The same principle applies on the left side, where no one could understand why Eduardo Camavinga started against Rayo Vallecano on February 1, when both Álex Carreras and Fran García - whose loan move the club abruptly halted just as Arbeloa had finalized it - were fully available.

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