Daniel Carvajal Ramos (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈnjel kaɾβaˈxal ˈramos]; born 11 January 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs of his generation. He is currently a free agent.
Having risen through the Real Madrid youth ranks, Carvajal spent a season with Bayer Leverkusen before returning to Real Madrid. He joined the first team in 2013 and has since won 27 major trophies at Real Madrid including four La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey titles and a joint record six Champions League wins, a record he shares with Paco Gento, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos and Nacho.
At the youth international level, Carvajal won the 2011 European Championship with the under-19 team and the 2013 edition with the under-21 team. He made his senior debut in 2014, representing the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. In 2024, he was part of the Spain squad that won the UEFA European Championship. Carvajal also scored the decisive penalty at the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, securing Spain's first UEFA Nations League title.
Carvajal was born in Leganés, a suburb of Madrid. He joined Real Madrid's youth system as a 10-year-old, and continued climbing through the ranks until reaching Real Madrid Castilla in 2010.
In his first season as a senior, Carvajal was immediately cast in the reserve team's starting XI, also being the team's captain. In the following campaign, he fared even better (38 games and two goals, playoffs included), as the Bs returned to Segunda División after a five-year absence.
On 11 July 2012, after failing to make a single appearance for Real's first team, Carvajal signed a five-year contract with Germany's Bayer Leverkusen for a transfer fee of €5 million. The Spaniards added on a buy-back clause in the region of €6.5 million if they wanted to re-sign the player after one season, €7 million after two and approximately €8.5 million after three.
Carvajal made his Bundesliga debut on 1 September 2012 in a 2–0 home win against SC Freiburg, being subsequently named to the Team of the Week. He scored his first goal for his new club on 25 November, netting the second in an eventual 2–1 success at TSG Hoffenheim.
Carvajal was selected as one of the three best right backs at the end of his first and only season, behind Bayern Munich's Phillip Lahm and Schalke 04's Atsuto Uchida. He received 16% of the total vote from the fans.
On 3 June 2013, Real Madrid exercised their buy-back option on Carvajal, who became the team's first signing for 2013–14 for a fee believed to be in the region of €6.5 million. This was confirmed by Bayer's director of football Rudi Völler, who stated: "Real Madrid noticed the outstanding performances by Dani this season, and it was only a matter of time before they exercised their buy-back option." Shortly after the move, he spoke of his happiness to return, thanking the president, the fans and the club at a press conference.
Carvajal made his La Liga debut on 18 August 2013, in a 2–1 home win against Real Betis. One month later he played his first match in the UEFA Champions League, again featuring the full 90 minutes in a 6–1 away victory of Galatasaray in the group stage.
Carvajal appeared in 45 matches in his first season and scored twice, in the league against Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna. He added 120 minutes in the Champions League final, a 4–1 triumph over Atlético Madrid.
Carvajal started in Real Madrid's triumphs in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup over compatriots Sevilla, and in that year's FIFA Club World Cup final against Argentina's San Lorenzo de Almagro. In the first leg of the Champions League's semi-finals, on 5 May 2015, he conceded a penalty by fouling Carlos Tevez, with the Juventus forward converting the spot-kick to defeat the Spaniards 2–1.
On 8 July 2015, Carvajal signed a new deal with the Merengues until 2020. He contributed with eight appearances and one goal against Shakhtar Donetsk, in the campaign's Champions League, as the tournament ended in win; in the final against Atlético Madrid, he was subbed off injured early into the second half of a 1–1 draw (penalty shootout triumph).
On 9 August 2016, Carvajal started in the UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla in Trondheim, and scored the final 3–2 in the 119th minute after an individual effort. During the league season, in spite of several physical ailments, he still contributed with 23 games to help the team be crowned champions. On 3 December 2016, after Sergio Ramos had equalised in the last minute against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, he celebrated the goal by giving opposing fans the middle finger, but later apologised; after nearly one month on the sidelines, he returned to action just in time to start at the Champions League final on 3 June, which they won for the third time in four years.
On 17 September 2017, Carvajal's contract was extended until 2022. Early in the following month, he was sidelined with a heart condition; he made eight appearances during that year's Champions League, and Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall title in the competition. In the decisive match against Liverpool he was forced to leave the pitch due to an injury, in an eventual 3–1 win at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
Carvajal scored Real Madrid's first league goal of the new season on 19 August 2018, in a 2–0 home victory over Getafe.
The next season, Carvajal was a regular starter as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga. On 29 July 2021, he extended his contract until June 2025.
On 1 June 2024, he scored his second Champions League goal from a header in a 2–0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the final. He also became the first player to win six finals in the competition along with Luka Modrić.