Why did Real Madrid introduce Carreras? One big reason why he can keep an eye on Yamal

Carreras joins Real Madrid: Kamar's left-road iron gate

In the early morning of July 15, Real Madrid officially announced the signing of 22-year-old Spanish left-back Alvaro Carreras, the fourth new player they have introduced this summer. With his return, Real Madrid not only strengthened the long-term weak position of left-back, but also unexpectedly gained a "Yamar Terminator". As the new generation of Barcelona's hope star, Yamal quickly became popular with his amazing dribbling ability and breakthrough efficiency. But surprisingly, there are a few players who can really limit his performance, including Alvaro Carreras.

In the Champions League last season, Carreras played against Barcelona twice for Benfica. Although Benfica lost both games (4-5 and 0-1), Yamal was almost completely suppressed in both games. Especially in the first round of the confrontation, Yamal only completed two successful breakthroughs in the game and almost "disappeared".

In the second leg knockout round, Carreras was suspended due to cumulative yellow cards. As a result, Yamal seized the opportunity and scored one of the best goals of the season, helping Barcelona win 3-1. This also indirectly confirms his defensive effect against Yamal.

As early as the 2023/24 season, Carreras also played for Granada on loan, and he had a confrontation with Yamal at that time. In that game, Granada finally drew 2-2 with Barcelona. It can be said that as long as Carreras is present, Yamal's performance will always be greatly restricted.

Real Madrid has been having a headache for the left-back position in recent years. In addition to Fran Garcia, other left-backs such as Mendy and Alaba were frequently injured, and Camavenga, who was originally an emergency plan, also began to frequently suffer from injuries.

Although Fran Garcia performed well in the 2025 Club World Cup, playing all 6 games, it also exposed the problem of Real Madrid's lack of rotation depth at this position. Coach Xavi Alonso has few other options.

Therefore, Real Madrid took Carreras, who had been from his own youth training camp, back to the Bernabeu at all costs, and paid a transfer fee of up to 50 million euros, far higher than the valuation of 35 million euros given by the German transfer market website. This investment is not only because of Carreras' strength, but also because of his special restraint ability against Barcelona star Yamal.

Although he is only 22 years old, Carreras has a very rich career resume. He has played for Granada, Manchester United, Preston and Benfica, and has performed well in Spain, England and Portugal.

After joining Benfica in 2024, he quickly won the recognition of fans, and even made the fans forget the previous left-back Alejandro Grimaldo (now at Leverkusen). In the 2024/25 season, he played 52 times for Benfica, contributing 4 goals and 5 assists, and performed well on both ends of the offense and defense.

In the eyes of Real Madrid fans, Carreras is regarded as the hope of the future left-back position, and some even compare him to the new generation of Roberto Carlos or Marcelo - able to defend firmly and intervene assists, with both passion and discipline.

He is not only fast and has excellent physical fitness, but also has strong tactical discipline, especially at one-on-one defense. More importantly, his suppression ability to show Barcelona's "key gentleman" Yamal has made Real Madrid fans look forward to the future national derby.

With Carreras' joining, Real Madrid's left-side defense shortcomings have been greatly compensated. His "old enemy" relationship with Yamal also adds new highlights to the future national derby. In future national derbys, the young left-back may become a key figure in determining the direction of the game.