MADRID, May 18 — Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal will leave the club at the end of the season, Los Blancos said Monday.

The Spain international, who has played 450 times for Madrid, has won 27 trophies including six Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

“Real Madrid wishes to express its gratitude and affection to one of the greatest legends of our club and world football,” said the Spanish giants in a statement.

Carvajal, 34, came through Real Madrid’s La Fabrica youth academy and after signing for Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, Los Blancos bought him back the following summer.

“Carvajal is a legend and a symbol of Real Madrid and its academy,” said Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

The defender was hoping to play for Spain at the World Cup this summer but has struggled with various injuries through a disappointing campaign and will not be called up by coach Luis de la Fuente according to Spanish media.

Carvajal will play his last match for the club at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, at the end of a second straight season without a major trophy for Madrid. — AFP 

MADRID, May 15 — Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe was whistled by fans at the Santiago Bernabeu in his team’s 2-0 win over Real Oviedo on Thursday in La Liga.

The Frenchman returned from a thigh injury as a substitute for Los Blancos, who will finish a second straight season without a major trophy after Barcelona were crowned league champions last week.

Madrid, without Mbappe, lost the Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday to confirm Hansi Flick’s side as title winners.

Their top goalscorer Mbappe has come in for heavy criticism from the club’s fans in recent weeks for a perceived lack of commitment to the cause.

Gonzalo Garcia opened the scoring for second-place Madrid before half-time and Jude Bellingham added the second in a routine victory over relegated Oviedo at a stadium with thousands of empty seats.

“The whistles... that’s life, you can’t change the opinion of the people when they are angry,” Mbappe told reporters.

“It’s the life of a Real Madrid player and a famous player like me.

“Footballers don’t always have to understand, they have to accept and look forward and change the situation.”

Alvaro Arbeloa, whose future as Madrid coach is poised to come to an end with Jose Mourinho linked with a return to the Bernabeu bench, began with Mbappe and England international Bellingham on the bench.

Franco Mastantuono forced an early save from Aaron Escandell in what proved Madrid’s best opening for most of the first period.

At the other end, Nacho Vidal smashed over after a good move from the visitors.

Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who was also the target of some whistles, had a shot blocked and then fired the rebound into the side-netting.

Madrid edged ahead with a tidy finish by Garcia shortly before the interval after Brahim Diaz fired a low pass his way in the box.

Escandell tipped over a Diaz drive and then saved from Alvaro Carreras at the near post in the second half.

Vidal missed another fine chance for Oviedo, dragging his shot across goal and wide.

Mbappe targeted

Arbeloa sent on Mbappe, who was whistled by Madrid’s fans, particularly unhappy at his recent holiday to Sardinia while recovering from injury.

Mbappe, who scored 41 goals in 41 games across all competitions this season before this game, tried his best to smile it off. The striker had a couple of shots off-target and another blocked.

Many Los Blancos players have been jeered by Madrid supporters over the years, including Mbappe’s idol Cristiano Ronaldo.

Madrid president Florentino Perez this week called elections during a tumultuous period for the club.

Stewards took away a banner from fans reading “Florentino go now”, with opinion split over the Madrid chief.

Bellingham added the second for Madrid after receiving the ball from Mbappe, creating some space for himself and drilling hard and low past Escandell from just inside the box.

It settled this match but Madrid’s problems will not be solved as easily.

Elsewhere, Girona drew 1-1 against Real Sociedad to climb up to 15th, still just one point above the relegation zone.

Mid-table sides Valencia and Rayo Vallecano also shared a 1-1 draw but are not completely safe from the spectre of relegation. — AFP

MADRID, May 14 — Real Madrid officially started their electoral process today, after president Florentino Perez announced his decision to call elections, in which he will stand.

There is a 10-day window, until May 23, for the submission of candidacies, Madrid said in a statement.

Among the requirements to be a candidate are having been a club member for 20 years and providing a guarantee of 187 million euros (US$219m), equivalent to 15 per cent of the club’s annual budget, which must be backed by personal assets.

Perez, who was re-elected unopposed in January 2025 for a four-year term, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he will run again.

Spanish media report Enrique Riquelme, the president of the water and energy group Cox, is considering entering the race.

In a letter published by several outlets in Spain, the renewable energy businessman asked Perez for more time to potentially prepare a candidacy.

”When I ran in the 2000 elections, I didn’t ask for more time; I ran and I won,” said Perez in an interview on television channel La Sexta yesterday. 

If multiple candidates stand the electoral board will announce the date and place of the elections in due course.

If no one else comes forward, Perez, 79, would retain his post, as happened in the 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025 elections.

The Spanish businessman was first elected as Madrid president in 2000, overseeing the club’s Galactico era, and resigned in 2006.

Since Perez returned in 2009, Madrid have won five Spanish league titles and a remarkable six European cups, among other silverware. — AFP

Real Madrid midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni trained together again on Thursday morning in Valdebebas, a day after their altercation in Wednesday’s session. The fallout from their fierce confrontation the day before still hung in the air, and the dispute flared again in the dressing room, ending with Valverde on his way to the hospital after slipping in the scuffle and hitting his head on the central table. In line with protocol, he was taken to a medical center for tests and discharged shortly afterward.

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