Dani Carvajal's Departure: Who Will Replace Him at Right-Back?
Dani Carvajal’s long goodbye at Real Madrid is almost over. On Saturday, against Athletic Club in La Liga, the captain is expected to pull on the white shirt for the last time, closing a chapter that has defined an era on the right flank at the Bernabéu.
His exit cuts deeper than a simple change of name on the teamsheet. Carvajal has been a reference point – experience, edge, and a snarling competitiveness that has carried Madrid through countless tight nights. Losing that, in a dressing room already stacked with stars but short on natural leaders, is no small blow.
It also leaves a very specific footballing problem. Right-back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to remain the first-choice option in that role, but even in a squad as lavish as Madrid’s, there is no escaping the need for depth. Names have been floated. Pedro Porro at Tottenham. Diogo Dalot at Manchester United. Both admired, both considered, both currently out of reach – for financial, sporting, or simply practical reasons.
So the gaze turns inwards. To Valdebebas. To La Fábrica.
According to AS, the club is weighing a bold move: filling Carvajal’s shadow not with a big-money signing, but with one of two academy products – Jesús Fortea or David Jiménez.
Fortea – the prodigy Madrid broke a pact for
Jesús Fortea is not just another youth-team full-back. At 19, 1.75m tall, he carries the label that weighs more than any shirt number in his position: “Carvajal’s heir.”
Madrid made that clear years ago. To bring him in, they shattered the long-standing non-aggression pact with Atlético Madrid, prising him from their academy when he was just 15. You do not break a truce in the capital for a squad player.
From the moment he arrived, the expectation followed him. But his path has not been a straight climb.
Instead of a smooth promotion route, Fortea found himself stuck with Real Madrid C when many expected him to jump directly to Castilla. When he finally did make that step, he struggled to impose himself in the role that had been pre-ordained for him.
He fought through it. By the time Juvenil A lifted the UEFA Youth League, Fortea was no longer a promise on paper – he was a key piece on the pitch, driving forward from the right with the kind of intent that makes coaches lean forward on the touchline.
Fast. Skilful. Aggressive with the ball. His profile screams modern full-back. He attacks first, asks questions later. The flip side is obvious: his defensive game still needs polishing. Positioning, duels, the darker arts of the role – those are still in progress.
Inside the club, though, the belief in him is strong. He is considered a major long-term bet, and his contract, running until 2029, underlines that commitment. If Madrid want a right-back who can eventually dominate the flank the way Carvajal once did, Fortea is the high-ceiling gamble.
Jiménez – the captain who rarely speaks but never hides
On the other side of the internal debate stands David Jiménez. Less noise. Less hype. More substance.
He joined La Fábrica back in 2013 from Móstoles URJC, a local boy with a clear idol: Álvaro Arbeloa, the current first-team coach and a former Madrid right-back who built a career on reliability rather than fireworks. Jiménez has followed a similar path, climbing steadily through every youth category until the captain’s armband at Castilla found its way onto his arm.
Inside Valdebebas, they talk about his professionalism, his attitude, his team-first mentality. He is called a “silent leader” for a reason. He does not dominate the headlines, but he dominates the small details that coaches trust.
On 17 December, he got his first taste of the real thing. A Copa del Rey tie against Talavera, under Xabi Alonso, handed him his senior debut. Since then, three more first-team appearances have followed, including a start against Valencia. Each time, he did what he always does: very little wrong, very little spectacular.
The comparison that keeps surfacing is Nacho Fernández. Another academy product, another defender who rarely topped highlight reels but became a pillar of reliability for over a decade. Jiménez fits that mould – solid, unflashy, almost invisible when things go well, because his job is to prevent problems rather than create headlines.
For a club that often leans towards star power, that kind of profile can be easy to overlook. But in a long season, with trophies on the line and rotations inevitable, a right-back who simply does not make mistakes can be priceless.
The choice Madrid cannot dodge
This is where the decision bites. Do Real Madrid back the daring, attacking, high-upside talent in Fortea, or the already battle-hardened, low-risk presence of Jiménez? Or do they rip up both internal options and go back into a market that has already told them Porro and Dalot are complicated moves?
The answer will say a lot about how the club sees its future at right-back. A bet on Fortea would be a statement of faith in potential and in the idea that La Fábrica can still produce stars for the biggest stages. A promotion for Jiménez would be a nod to stability, to the value of a homegrown professional who already carries the captain’s armband at Castilla and has felt the weight of the first-team shirt.
What is certain is this: when Carvajal walks off the pitch on Saturday, he will leave behind more than a vacant number. He will leave a standard.
Now someone has to step up and live with it.
