Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal will leave the club at the end of the season..

Real Madrid announced on their official website on Tuesday that their captain, Spain international right-back Dani Carvajal, will leave the club at the end of the season.

According to Real Madrid's official statement, everyone at the club is very grateful for Carvajal's contributions and efforts both on and off the pitch, leaving an unforgettable mark on the team's success, and wishes him all the best for the future.

The club will also hold a farewell ceremony for Carvajal this weekend at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu for the final La Liga match of the season.

Regarding Carvajal's departure, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez said: "Dani Carvajal is a legend and symbol of Real Madrid and its youth academy. The image of him laying the foundation stone for Real Madrid with our beloved Alfredo Di Stéfano will forever be etched in the hearts of all Real Madrid fans and will forever be recorded in the club's history."

With this announcement, Carvajal's career at Real Madrid will be end after 23 years.

It's worth mentioning that signs of Carvajal's impending departure had been foreshadowed for some time.

Back in February 2026, The Athletic had already exclusively reported that he is "frustrated" by being benched without explanation and might leave the club this summer.

According to the report, Carvajal is baffled by his former teammate and interim manager, Álvaro Arbeloa, who has inexplicably kept him on the bench since his return from injury, and is perplexed by Arbeloa's refusal to provide him with a reason for not getting playing time.

Carvajal initially believes he had no objection to his new teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also recently recovered from injury, having opportunities to come on as a substitute, but he has been completely ignored without any explanation, which has made him very "frustrated."

The report said that until Real Madrid's 2-0 La Liga victory over Valencia, Carvajal maintained his belief that despite his dissatisfaction with the situation, he would train hard to change Arbeloa's mind. 

However, with Arbeloa's decision to bring on Alexander-Arnold to replace 21-year-old La Fabrica academy graduate David Jimenez in the 76th minute, Carvajal finally realized his days playing at Real Madrid might be coming to an end.

Carvajal had been relegated to the bench since returning from injury in early January, even missing four consecutive matches entirely.

The report added that unlike the departures of Toni Kroos, Nacho, Lucas Vázquez, and Karim Benzema, like Luca Modrić, Real Madrid did not inform Carvajal beforehand that he could consider renewing his contract or not before making the decision to leave.

Real Madrid's management also seemed to have no intention of renewing his contract, thus no negotiations had taken place to date.

With all this happening now, Carvajal's belief that he might leave when his contract expires this summer may have become even stronger.

About Dani Carvajal

The 34-year-old Dani Carvajal was born on January 11, 1992, in Leganés, Spain. He is 1.73 meters tall and primarily plays as a right-back, but can also play as a center-back.

Carvajal joined Real Madrid's renowned La Fabrica youth academy at the age of 10 and began playing for Real Madrid B in 2010, during which time he helped the team win one Segunda División B title.

In July 2012, Carvajal joined Bayer Leverkusen for €5 million.

During his time at Die Werkself, Carvajal's outstanding performances earned him second place in the Bundesliga's annual Best Right-Back poll.

The following July, Carvajal returned to Real Madrid for €6.5 million.

Since returning to Real Madrid, Carvajal has made 450 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions so far, scoring 14 goals and providing 65 assists. During which he has won 6 Champions League titles, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 5 FIFA Club World Cups, 4 La Liga titles, 4 Supercopa de España, and 2 Copa del Rey titles with the club.

Image source: Internet / Real Madrid Official Website