Real Madrid finalized another transfer! Carreras dream pursuit journey: Going out of Real Madrid, and finally returning to Bernabeu

Carreras' dream pursuit journey: leaving Real Madrid, and finally returning to Bernabeu, Alvaro Carreras, who is only 22 years old, has shown maturity and firmness beyond his age in his football career. His story begins in the small town of Ferro, Galicia.

Carreras' youth training career started with his hometown teams Galicia Carrasa and Racine Ferro, and then joined the Real Sociedad echelon, which is only half an hour away from home. However, what really changed his destiny was the olive branch extended by Real Madrid. Although this means saying goodbye to the familiar living environment, with the support of his family, the young Alvaro resolutely went to Madrid and devoted himself to the Real Madrid youth training system.

At Real Madrid, he grew steadily until he met a bigger challenge in his youth - the invitation of Premier League giant Manchester United. Leaving Real Madrid is not easy, but Carreras firmly believes that this is the most favorable choice for his career, so he embarked on a new journey. He performed well in Manchester United's U23 team and won the team's best U23 player. He was subsequently loaned to the Championship team Preston and was named the league's best young player. These achievements once brought him close to Manchester United's first team, but the opportunity ultimately failed to come.

Then, Carreras was loaned to Granada, La Liga, but the experience was not smooth. However, this opened the door to Benfica, where he gradually grew into a stable left-wing all-rounder.

"Only you can go out can you be seen"

Carreras once revealed his thoughts in an interview with Marca in November last year: "I have always believed that as long as young people deserve opportunities, they should be given. If there is no chance, go out and prove themselves." This sentence also truly reflects his career. He once fought in the Spanish Second Division and was loaned to Granada. Although the process was bumpy, he always believed that as long as he had the ability, he would eventually be seen. Now, his moment has finally arrived.

Adaptive ability creates Carreras today

Now, Alvaro has been able to perfectly integrate into the tactical system of Xavi Alonso. This excellent adaptability stems from his tempering during his time at Preston. In the 2022/23 season, he tried his first five-back style under the three-center-back system, and admitted that he was very adaptable: "In the five-back system, I had teammates support when attacking, and often faced the opponent's wingers and fullbacks when defending, which made me need to increase my defensive focus."

He recalled in that interview: "I think the biggest stage of my improvement on the defensive end was in Preston. At that time, I focused more on defense because it was relatively easy for me to break forward, but defense is where I need to strengthen."

Multi-faced roles, comprehensive value

After coming to Benfica, Carreras not only consolidated his position as a left-back, but was often arranged to serve as the third central defender. "I can adapt well to the coach's requirements," he said in an interview with Marca. This flexible and changeable ability is a trait that modern football advocates, and has also won him the renewed attention of Real Madrid.

Now, this young man who once left the Bernabeu has embarked on the road to return with more mature technical and tactical literacy and firm confidence.