Dani Carvajal's Departure: Real Madrid's Next Right-Back Choice
Dani Carvajal’s long goodbye at Real Madrid is almost over. On Saturday, against Athletic Club, the captain is expected to pull on the white shirt for the last time, closing a chapter defined by grit, trophies and a relentless competitive edge.
His exit leaves more than an empty locker. It rips out a reference point on the pitch and in the dressing room – a defender who blended experience, a winning mentality and a voice that carried weight when it mattered. Real Madrid are not just losing a right-back; they are losing a standard.
The position itself, though, is already in new hands. Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to continue as the first-choice right-back, the marquee piece on that flank. The question now is who will stand behind him, who will grow in his shadow and fight for minutes when the season tightens and the calendar bites.
The market offers names, but not solutions. Pedro Porro at Tottenham and Diogo Dalot at Manchester United are admired in the offices at Valdebebas. Both fit the modern full-back profile, both are trusted at elite level. Yet the deals are viewed as unrealistic – cost, context and club resistance all pushing Madrid away from that path.
So the gaze turns inward. To La Fábrica. To two very different stories.
Fortea – the prodigy with a target on his back
Jesús Fortea has lived with expectations from the moment he walked through the door. Madrid broke their non-aggression pact with Atlético de Madrid to prise him out of their academy – a statement in itself. He arrived at 15 and was immediately tagged as the “natural heir” to Carvajal. No easing in. No anonymity. Straight into the spotlight.
Now 19, 1.75m tall and built for the modern game, Fortea is an attacking right-back by instinct. He runs, he dribbles, he drives. His game leans forward. That profile helped him become a key piece in the Juvenil A side that lifted the UEFA Youth League, a competition that often reveals who is truly built for the next step.
His path, though, has not been smooth. Instead of a direct promotion to Castilla, he was held back at Real Madrid C, a decision that stalled his rise and brought a dose of doubt into a journey that had started at full speed. When he did eventually make it to Castilla, he struggled to impose himself, fighting for minutes and rhythm.
He didn’t fold. He adapted, worked, and forced his way into the team picture. The talent has never been in question: quick, skilful, always looking to push high and wide. The doubts live on the other side of the ball. Defensively, he still needs polishing – positioning, duels, the cold decisions in his own half that turn a winger into a full-back.
Inside the club, they see him as a long-term bet, a player tied down until 2029 for a reason. He represents upside, risk and reward in one package. If Madrid choose Fortea, they choose to live with his growing pains.
Jiménez – the quiet authority
On the opposite flank of the academy spectrum stands David Jiménez. Less noise, fewer headlines, more substance.
Jiménez joined La Fábrica in 2013 from Móstoles URJC, a local kid who grew up idolising Álvaro Arbeloa – now, fittingly, his coach in the youth ranks. He has climbed every rung of the ladder, age group by age group, until the captain’s armband at Castilla ended up on his arm. Not because he dazzled, but because everyone trusted him.
At Valdebebas, they talk about his professionalism first. His attitude. The way he trains, the way he competes, the way he never switches off. He is described as a “silent leader” and a complete team player – the type who sets standards without needing to shout.
The first-team door opened for him on 17 December, when he debuted in the Copa del Rey against Talavera under Xabi Alonso. That was not a token appearance. Three more games followed, including a start against Valencia. Each time, he did what he always does: little fuss, fewer mistakes.
At 22, Jiménez is not the explosive prospect. He is the steady hand. Those around the club compare his profile to Nacho Fernández – solid, reliable, rarely spectacular but almost never the problem. He will not dominate highlight reels, yet coaches sleep better with players like him in the squad.
If Madrid elevate Jiménez, they choose certainty. A defender who might never be a star, but who can be trusted when the season hits its rough patches.
The choice that will define the flank
Real Madrid stand at a familiar crossroads: academy or market, risk or reliability, projection or present.
Alexander-Arnold is locked in as the starter. Behind him, though, the decision carries weight. Pick Fortea, and the club doubles down on its belief in high-ceiling youth, accepting the defensive learning curve in exchange for the possibility of another dynamic, homegrown full-back in the Carvajal mould. Pick Jiménez, and they secure a low-drama, high-trust option, a player who may never dominate a season but will rarely betray a coach’s faith.
There is still the third door – a signing from outside if circumstances change and a deal suddenly becomes viable. For now, that remains a theory, not a plan.
What is certain is this: when Carvajal walks off the pitch on Saturday, he leaves behind a shirt heavy with history and expectation. Someone from La Fábrica may soon be asked to wear it.
Whoever steps into that space will not just be replacing a right-back. They will be stepping into a legacy.
