Carvajal: “Even in your free time you are representing Real Madrid, everything you do has an impact”

Dani Carvajal is currently nursing an injury after forcing an early comeback against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. The right back is now 31-years-old, a husband, and a father. He has grown up at Real Madrid and took some time out to discuss being a Real Madrid player, some interests outside of football, and the similarities between Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique in an interview with GQ Spain.

Mentality

“Playing for Real Madrid is not easy, neither for better nor for worse. You know that even if you are on your own with free time you are always representing Real Madrid, that everything you do has a huge impact — that requires a very high mental demand”, he explained. “I have achieved almost all my personal goals, I have helped Real Madrid expand their winning records, and I have spent more than ten years in the first team, 20 in total wearing the club’s shirt.”

Playing Style

“I am quite an intense player. I don’t think I am a player especially loved by the rival, but whoever knows me well and whoever has had a little relationship with me, knows that what happens inside the field vs what happens outside is day and night”

Outside Hobby

Dani Carvajal revealed that he is a big Call of Duty player during his free time and even revealed that he plays online under his own name against strangers “People start saying ’Come on, look, Carvajal, good game today’, as if hesitating, as if it really wasn’t me, and I laugh inside — if you knew that it really was me. It’s funny”.

Similarities between Luis Enrique and Ancelotti

“They both have a very offensive idea of ​​football, pressure in the opposite field, and in that I have been lucky, because they are systems that are very similar.”

Carvajal also highlighted Ancelotti as a great coach for handling pressure: “Ancelotti is very good at releasing the players from the pressure. Anything that can be thrown on his back is thrown on him”