The 32-year-old was instrumental in Real Madrid and Spain’s charge to European glory last season and is open to a potential move to the Middle East.
Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal has hinted at Qatar as a possible destination when his time at the Spanish capital comes to an end.
The right-back played a key role in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph last season, followed by a successful summer in Germany where he helped Spain lift the European Championship.
However, he suffered a serious injury to the cruciate ligaments in his right knee in October, sidelining him until at least the start of next season.
Considering the circumstances, Carvajal admitted pragmatically that he might not have much time left at the top of European football.
“I’m 32 years old, I’m no longer a child,” Carvajal said in an interview with the Spanish edition of the Esquire magazine. “What can I have left? Four or five years of football? It’s not much, time goes by quickly in this game.”
Carvajal said he would not want to join any other European club following his exit from his boyhood club to avoid playing against Los Blancos in the Champions League.
Despite signing an extension until 2026 earlier in October, Carvajal’s exit looks more likely with reports of Real Madrid agreeing initial terms with Liverpool’s right-back Trent Alexander Arnold emerging in Spain.
In that case, Carvajal would be open to a move to the Middle East, with former teammate Joselu pushing for a move at the Ooredoo Stars League side, he said.
The forward, who signed for Al Gharafa ahead of the current season, is also Carvajal’s brother-in-law, married to his wife Daphne’s twin sister Melanie.
“It [Qatar] would be a probable destination,” he said. “Joselu tells me: ‘I’m waiting for you here, I’m saving the right-back spot for you.’”
Carvajal added that Joselu has enjoyed his time in Qatar and would consider a move if an offer were presented.
“It [Qatari league] is a competition in which all the stadiums are close, there is a very high quality of life,” he said.
“He [Joselu] 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.”
In an emotional post on X (formerly Twitter), Joselu expressed that he “would have preferred it to happen to me” when Carvajal was injured in October, a setback many feared could be career-threatening.
Joselu has been successful in convincing former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico and former Leeds attacker Rodrigo Moreno to join him at Al Gharafa so far.
Carvajal, who finished fourth in both The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d’Or, will be the latest in the list of decorated Spanish stars to play in the Qatari league if he makes the move. The likes of Raul, Xavi, Santi Cazorla, and Pep Guardiola have previously played in Qatar.
Currently, former Barcelona youth academy products Marc Muniesa and Rafa Mujica, ex-Napoli midfielder Luis Alberto, World Cup and Euro Cup winner Javi Martinez, and Joselu are among the 12 Spanish players competing in the Ooredoo Stars League.
