Dani Carvajal. Bayern Munich. It doesn't sound so crazy. And if the Spanish media is to be believed, which is always worth a Dead Sea-sized pinch of salt, the Real Madrid right-back hasn't been forgotten by the perennial Bundesliga champions.
The occasional Spain right-back is a product of La Fabrica, but as is the case of so many that have passed before him on the Real production line, he was forced to seek his fortune elsewhere while the right-backs enjoying playing time ahead of him included Alvaro Arbeloa, Juanfran (the Depor version, not the Atletico one)... and little else. For two of the seasons that Carvajal was ostensibly attached to the first team, Arbeloa was the only pure right-back that Real Madrid possessed.
When Carvajal eventually usurped the slowing Arbeloa, he might have thought that was that. The addition to the squad of Danilo would have been, as Spaniards say, a jug of cold water. Signed in the winter of 2014, Carvajal may have dismissed the Brazilian's arrival as a footnote to his Real career. Again, a right-back that now vies with Atletico's Juanfran for the Spain number two shirt was mistaken. Whither Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's "Spain first policy"; quick answer: how many right-backs do Spain have?
Hugo Mallo, Cesar Azpilicueta, Mario Gaspar, Jonny Castro... The list of right-backs Vicente del Bosque has called up to his pre-Euro 2016 squads has been prolific. Carvajal still only has five caps to his name, with most of his minutes coming in friendlies rather than qualifiers. Real Madrid's starting right-back should probably expect a more important role with the national side. But is he still Real's starting right-back?
Carvajal was shipped out to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2012 without once gracing the Real Madrid first team. Real sold him for €5 million, then bought back for somewhere in the region of €6.5m a year later. By Bernabeu standards, that's very decent business. In the meantime, Carvajal had come third in the vote for the best right-back in the Bundesliga, behind Bayern's Philipp Lahm and Schalke's Atsuto Uchida. Carvajal was brought back with little fanfare, and few fans. Having made zero appearances for Real before leaving, his return warranted little more than a collective Bernabeu shrug. It wasn't long before Carvajal had old hands claiming they'd seen it all along.
Arbeloa faded. Stop-gaps failed to stop gaps. Fabinho, anyone? Real's buy-back option was triggered and Carvajal returned to La Liga, a full-fledged full-back at the top of his game after a season of Bundesliga drilling. With Arbeloa on the way out and nothing much coming through La Fabrica to threaten his first-choice status, the canterano returned home and consolidated himself in the first team; 3,362 minutes in all competitions in his first season at the Bernabeu. In 2014-15, he played 3,323 minutes in all competitions, with five assists.
This season Carvajal has four starts against Athletic, Granada, Espanyol and Malaga, with one goal conceded. In the 1-1 derby draw Carvajal was injured having provided the assist for Karim Benzema's strike in the Calderon.
Danilo has filled in since then, but exactly where did the Brazilian full-back arrive from? The transfer was one of those winter-for-summer deals whereby Carvajal knew competition was on the way but not why. Whether or not former boss Carlo Ancelotti had anything to do with it we'll never know; Still, the Brazilian is a big statement. Or, if you prefer, it was Perez throwing his checkbook about in January after a summer in which he lacked adding a galactico to his collection.
In the summer of 2014-15, Real added James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Keylor Navas. When the heat was on this year, Danilo, a winter signing to arrive in June, was the best they could do.
Carvajal appears to be the main victim of that arrangement. An under-the-radar purchase from the cantera who has nevertheless been one of Real's finest performers over the last 18 months could be forgiven for assuming he has a run at the first 11.
Danilo, though, is another extravagant bet who will be given a chance to prove his €31.5 million worth to the side while the Spain international is injured. It's a working situation for now. When both are 100 percent, it will be a headache for manager Rafa Benitez.