Real Madrid summer signing has gone from untouchable starter to forgotten figure in months | OneFootball

When Real Madrid completed the return of Alvaro Carreras for a fee close to €50 million, expectations around the defender were immediately enormous.

The club viewed the Spaniard as a long-term solution capable of strengthening the left side of the defence for years ahead. 

At one stage, Carreras looked destined to become one of the season’s breakout figures at Real Madrid.

Under former manager Xabi Alonso, the defender established himself as an important part of the team. 

The former Madrid midfielder showed huge trust in the player from the beginning, regularly relying on him in major matches and giving him consistent minutes.

A look at the numbers

During Alonso’s spell in charge, Carreras appeared in 24 out of 28 matches. More importantly, he started 23 of those games, with only one appearance coming from the bench. 

However, the situation changed dramatically once Alvaro Arbeloa took control in January.

Although Carreras did not disappear entirely from the squad, his influence steadily declined. 

Alvaro Carreras is not Arbeloa’s preferred choice. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Under Arbeloa, the defender played 14 matches in total, starting 13 of them and coming off the bench once.

On the surface, those numbers may not appear alarming. Yet the real difference becomes clearer when comparing his involvement rate across the season.

Under Xabi Alonso, Carreras featured in nearly 86% of the team’s matches. Under Arbeloa, though,, that percentage has fallen sharply to around 56%.

The turning point

The turning point in Carreras’ tenure appeared to arrive around the clash against Mallorca.

At that stage, Real Madrid were still mathematically fighting for the La Liga title and Carreras had remained relatively involved, appearing in 12 of Arbeloa’s opening 18 matches in charge. 

After that, however, his role almost completely disappeared. Across the following seven fixtures, the defender featured only twice as his minutes suddenly collapsed.

Since then, Arbeloa has increasingly looked elsewhere when selecting his defensive options. 

Although Carreras is set to stay and is willing to prove himself next season, he would be relieved to know that Arbeloa won’t be continuing from the 2026/27 campaign.