Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal has confirmed that he would be keen on a move to Qatari football when he leaves Los Blancos. The 32-year-old has admitted that he does not have long left in the game, and it seems he is not thinking of retiring at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carvajal turns 33 in two weeks, and with Real Madrid pursuing Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, may consider a move at some point. He is currently recovering from cruciate ligament tear in his knee, which is set to keep him out for a year.
“I’m 32 years old, I’m no longer a child. What can I have left? Four or five years of football? It’s not much, time goes by quickly,” he told Esquire. He was not averse to moving to the Middle East either.
“It wouldn’t seem crazy to me. I’ve already said that if I ever leave Real Madrid I won’t play in Europe, I won’t compete against Madrid in the Champions League or in Spain.”
Former teammate Joselu Mato currently plays in Qatar for Al-Gharafa, having moved from Real Madrid this summer. Carvajal and Joselu are married to twin sisters Daphne and Melanie, and thus are now brothers-in-law.
“It would be a probable destination. Joselu tells me: ‘I’m waiting for you here, I’m saving the right-back spot for you.’ It is a competition in which all the stadiums are close, there is a very high quality of life. And he has earned it, to have that important financial remuneration, which is a spectacular culmination to his career. I am very happy for him, for my sister-in-law and for my nephews,” he explained.
It would be a surprise if Carvajal did not try to return to the Spain team for the 2026 World Cup, with Pedro Porro and Oscar Mingueza his main competition currently for the position. Carvajal should return to action around seven months before the World Cup takes place, and but if Alexander-Arnold does arrive, he may find minutes harder to come by, as he tries to get his sharpness back.
