Dani Carvajal: "I enjoy the little things more because a few months ago I was in a mess; now I'm happy to be called up."

Dani Carvajal (Leganés, 33) joins the training group this week. He's recovered from his right soleus injury and may even be included in the squad for the Clásico. The Real Madrid captain, leader of that dressing room and the leader of the national team's dressing room, spoke to EL MUNDO after a publicity event to present the match ball, the first ball created specifically for a match by LaLiga and Puma. He's smiling, he's calm. He's happy. Little by little, he's forgetting about the very serious knee injury he suffered just over a year ago, which kept him off the pitch for many months. He's back, and he's here to stay.

Question: How do you notice that the classic isn't just another game?

Answer: Everything. The number of tickets you're asked for, the number of things people say to you on the street...

Q. Does the series of defeats against Barça last year weigh heavily on you?

A. It's not that it's a burden, but we're eager for revenge. In any case, there's still a long way to go in the league. It's one game, three points. I mean, nothing's going to happen, win or lose, but it's true that on an emotional level, beating them would be something important for us and for our fans.

Q. Well, how are you feeling?

R. Good, very good. I'll be with the team this week and I imagine I'll be available for Sunday.

Q. What's been the hardest part for you? Rodri said the hardest part was getting back to doing movements that he used to do naturally.

A: Yes, there are actions that your mind needs to think about a little more before you do them. They used to come naturally, but now they're harder. It's like your head is telling you, "I can do this gesture, let's see about this gesture..." It's a temporary process until everything becomes automatic again.

Q. Are you afraid?

A. No, I don't have it, nor have I ever had it. Some days you're more irritated, other days less so. But I agree with De la Fuente when he said that all footballers have discomfort. Discomfort, yes, but fear, no.

"Mentally, I've handled this injury better than all the injuries and setbacks of 2021."

Q. How have you been mentally this year?

A. To be honest, it's better than 2021, when I had a lot of injuries and a lot of setbacks. This time, it's been more of a process of mentally preparing yourself, of saying, "I have a serious injury, a long-term injury," and knowing that you have to go through phases, shorten the timeframe... And that's why you mentally prepare yourself. In 2021, it was much worse, because I got injured, recovered, started to see the light, and then fell again. It was much more frustrating, to be honest.

Q. What have you learned this past year?

A. Well, to appreciate everything much more. Enjoy every day of training, go to every game with my biggest smile. Something I maybe didn't know how to do before. Before, I didn't start and I'd come home angry. Not now, now, well, I take it differently. I enjoy the little things more because a few months ago I was in a mess, and that's why now I'm just happy to be called up. Seeing the positive side of things. Enjoying things I didn't value before.

Q. Has your personality changed?

A. I think things have changed in the way we're talking about. My wife and my family know and remember perfectly well that I used to get really angry about everything, and I demanded a lot of myself. But now I enjoy the little things, and that makes me a little happier.

Q. Have you had time to think about what you'll do when football is over?

A. No, because right now I can't see my life without football. So, until I get my head around it, especially, I'm going to be fighting.

Q. It's a bit of an obvious question, but who did you lean on?

A. Without a doubt, my wife is the one who has put up with me the most this year.

Q. And what was the worst?

A. The pain—I mean, the postoperative pain, the first 10 days, two weeks—was tremendous. Sometimes I'd have breakfast with my wife, and I remember having to take medication, increasingly stronger, every two hours. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. I'd try to go downstairs to eat, and I'd last two minutes at the table, and then I'd have to go lie down on the couch because I couldn't stand the pain. That was the hardest part.

Q. Did you watch a lot or a little football?

A. Well, at first, I struggled with watching football; I wanted to disconnect. But then I got the itch.

"Xabi is a modern coach who adapts to his opponent. I like that concept."

Q. How would you define Xabi Alonso as a coach?

A. He's a young coach, and by young I mean a coach with young concepts, eager to go all out for matches without waiting. A coach who often adapts to his opponent and changes, looking for the formula he thinks will do the most damage. I like him.

Q. Did he ask you for help?

A. It's not about asking for help. We talked several times, discussing a bit of everything, what I thought could be improved about the squad, how he saw it...

Q. Will the controversy surrounding Vinicius ever end?

A. Well, man, I don't know, but where's the controversy with Vinicius at Getafe? A player, with the ball on the other side of the field, sticks his arm out and hits you in the neck and face. Well, I don't think there's any more to discuss.

Q. How do they try to help him?

R. We try to get him to focus on football, because when he's focused, he's the best, one of the best.

Q. What's the best thing we haven't seen from Mbappé?

A. Well, he's a fantastic guy. He comes into the locker room with a smile on his face; he's integrated from the first minute. He's a normal guy; he doesn't look down on anyone, and I think that's important considering who Mbappé is.