The game was almost over. Real Madrid was 3-0 ahead of Valencia in the relegation zone. The Bernabéu was a bit flat. Three goals in the first half had already decided the game, and Real Madrid fell behind in the second half.
In the 82nd minute of the match, Álvaro Fernández Carreras decided to channel his inner Roberto Carlos and bring life to the Bernabéu. After a knockout strike, Carreras scored his first ever goal for the club he supported as a child, and set up a few goals inside the Bernabeu (including Florentino Pérez) to revive the diminutive Brazilian club legend.
In 2020, 17-year-old Alvaro Fernandes, then known by his father’s nickname, left Real Madrid’s academy to join Manchester United’s youth programme. The La Liga giants were not too bothered – Alvaro showed no signs of living up to his idols – Marcelo and Roberto Carlos.
His time in England was mixed – despite impressing with Manchester United’s under-23 squad (even being named Player of the Year), the left-back was given no appearances at all. He made the bench on two occasions, and was loaned out to Preston North End, Granada, and then Benfica, with the Portuguese club having an optional six million buyout clause. This is a number that Manchester United will only look at with regret.
Come the summer of 2024, Benfica had no doubts and exercised this option. Now adopting his mother’s surname, Carreras continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Madrid came calling again and parted with 50 million to secure his services. Xabi Alonso was in need of a solution at left-back, with Ferland Mendy permanently injured, Fran Garcia unable to impress, and David Alaba suffering an unfortunate injury in the Champions League against Arsenal last season.
Enter jobs.
Alonso has trusted the 22-year-old from the start, with Carreras starting the season with confidence. Using his pace and positional ability to link the opposition’s flanks, he represented a safe platform for Vinicius Junior and others in the Madrid squad (hardly the biggest defensive support) to gain their freedom. Carreras has also married defensive stability by being one of the most advanced passers in the Madrid squad, and that was simply the cherry on top of the ice.
The Galician-born defender has played all but eight minutes of Madrid’s league matches, with the only rest he has had this season being on the bench against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League. He quickly became one of Alonso’s most trusted assistants on the pitch and then capped off a stunning performance in what all Madrid players are judged for – El Clásico.
Bernabeu fans shouldn’t be surprised – Carreras more than outlasted a certain Lamin Yamal for Benfica in the 2024-25 Champions League campaign. However, the Clásico’s task will be more difficult, as he is pitted against the toughest (and perhaps best) right-winger in the world. Carreras did not let Yamal breathe, suffocating him to such an extent that the Barcelona great was left frustrated as the ball struck his toes for the umpteenth time.
Well, Carreras can do the work defensively. But to be truly appreciated by the Bernabeu, who had watched some of the greatest left-backs ever, he had to score.
Rodrygo, with the ball at his feet in the 82nd minute against Valencia, did what he always does. He left Valencia right-back Jesús Vazquez for dead, before cutting the ball off and shooting into the air. However, Iray Kummert positioned himself well and blocked the effort, with the ball flying off his body towards Carreras, who picked it up on the edge of the penalty area.
A brilliant first touch to control the ball was followed by an even better touch than ever, as Carreras beat Andre Almeida with a clever pass and moved forward into the box. He looked up, and there was only the opposite top corner to target, and there wasn’t even much time left to do so.
Carreras cut his foot back and delivered a hit so correct that the ball went off like a bullet and had so much force behind it that it did not deflect. One of the broadcast camera angles happened to be directly behind the defender’s shot and the purity of the hit was very clear. It took less than a second, but the ball quickly shot towards the opposite top corner.
The Bernabeu came back to life, and the words on everyone’s lips were, “Have we found another Roberto Carlos?”
When the club asked him the same question after the match, Carreras downplayed the matter, saying: “These things are instinctive, they have to come from within. I’m very happy because I scored my first goal in this shirt. Like Roberto Carlos? This is a whole other level, isn’t it! It’s a source of pride… I’ve always dreamed of coming here. It’s crazy to play at the Bernabéu.”
In order to bring the Bernabéu back to life by channeling his inner Roberto Carlos, Alvaro Carreras takes a moment this weekend on ESPN.
