There are 130 days left for Spain's debut in the World Cup on June 15; approximately 114 days until the start of the national team concentration in Las Rozas, and between 106 and 110 days for Luis de la Fuente to announce the squad for the tournament. In summary, the footballers who want to earn a spot on the plane to United States, Mexico, and Canada have about 100 days to prove they deserve a place. This is the race against time that haunts Dani Carvajal, whose current sports situation is closer to mystery than reality after his serious knee injury and the difficulties he faced during his return to the field.
The captain of Real Madrid has been included in the call-ups by Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa for a month, summoned since January 4 against Betis. From that date, Madrid played nine games in which the Spaniard only played 29 minutes in two matches, 14 against Albacete in the Copa del Rey and 15 against Monaco in the Champions League. In the rest, neither the Basque nor the Salamancan saw his presence on the field as appropriate despite the difficulties they faced in matches like Benfica, Rayo, Villarreal, or Levante.
The matches against Atlético and Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup perhaps came too soon for the defender from Leganés, but in recent weeks, the full-back was feeling much better. He believed he could contribute, but he has had to watch from the sidelines, focused on his phone in Lisbon, informing about the results of the rivals and acting as a captain before and after in the dressing room amidst the small crisis of play and sensations that Real Madrid is going through, but always far from the field.
At Valdebebas, the defender reassures teammates, coaches, and executives that he is feeling well and "ready" for more playing time, but the medical staff of the white team lean more towards caution. During this month, they have advised that the Spaniard's knee was still not ready for excessive playing time, especially with midweek and demanding matches.
The match at Mestalla seemed like his best option so far, but the urgency for victories that the white team has been experiencing for weeks forces Arbeloa not to hesitate, and the return of other injured players does not help Carvajal's intentions. Rüdiger and Alexander-Arnold are already recovered from their injuries and will also return to the squad against Valencia, so the Spanish player's chances have diminished slightly.
"He needs training and playing time for the knee to gain mobility and strength," admit sources close to the Madrid dressing room, where the conversation is also shifting towards the end of the player's contract, which expires on June 30. Both parties have agreed to wait and see the level Carvajal could show in these months to understand the context of the negotiation and renewal. So, the word is the same: mystery.
"I come from a complex process, from a very serious injury. What I really want is to train and enjoy playing. I have to play, see the level I can show on the field, and if the club and I are on the same page, there won't be any problem," Carvajal commented in Saudi Arabia, where he was the protagonist of the press conference before the semi-final against Atlético. "I have six or seven structures in the knee that had to be adjusted. It hasn't been easy, but we are on the right track," he added.
It all started in October 2024
The timeline of Carvajal's right knee requires caution. On October 5, 2024, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, external collateral ligament, and popliteal tendon. He returned to play on July 9, 2025, 277 days later. On September 27 of last year, he suffered an injury to the soleus muscle, also in his right leg, which kept him out for a month. And on October 26, after the Clásico, the presence of a "loose body" was detected in the same right knee that had been operated on.
A loose body in the joint, for better understanding, is a piece of surface that detaches from the joint, moves freely within it, and can potentially cause joint blockage. This is the concern of the medical staff at Madrid, who fear a new injury if he accumulates too many minutes and advise first to gradually build muscle and mobility to avoid inflammation.
But this caution clashes directly with Carvajal's eagerness to play in the World Cup. He knows it is his last chance, that he would be one of the captains, that he is one of the most beloved players in the group, and that the national team has a good chance of going far.