From benchwarmer to dream wrecker: €50m man outshines Bundesliga star | OneFootball

At just 22 years old, Álvaro Carreras had already said "adiós" to the youth academy of Real Madrid, failed spectacularly at Manchester United, was loaned out across half of Europe, and has now finally made his breakthrough as a left-back at Benfica. Along the way, he is on track to shatter two career dreams of a Bundesliga star.

Carreras played so well in Portugal that the Royals are now putting a hefty 50 million euros on the table to bring their former protégé back to the Spanish capital. There, the youngster is expected to stabilize the shaky defense. Xabi Alonso had loudly demanded such a transfer after the 0:4 defeat against PSG!

Carreras succeeded Grimaldo in Lisbon

Interestingly, the rookie coach is getting a player in Carreras whose career is intertwined on several levels with that of his former favorite pupil: Alejandro Grimaldo.

“I don't know many players with such technique,” Alonso said about his left-footed magician as recently as January. Back then, both were still at Bayer Leverkusen. But what the hell does all this have to do with Carreras?

Well, when Grimaldo followed the call of his compatriot in the summer of 2023 and signed with the Werkself, Benfica signed Carreras as his direct successor.

The talent had failed to make the grade at Manchester United and, despite training sessions with childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo—Carreras played as a striker for a long time in his youth—never managed to secure a permanent spot in the first team.

Grimaldo’s Real dream shattered!

At Benfica, however, Carreras particularly impressed in his second season and thus made it onto the radar of various top European clubs. The youngster himself assesses his strengths as follows: “I see myself as a physically strong, fast player with good ball control. I think my left foot is what makes me a special player.”

Apparently, Real saw it exactly the same way and paid the second-highest fee of this transfer summer for Carreras. After all, the left-back position had long been considered perhaps the biggest problem area in the galactic squad.

This is where it’s worth circling back to Grimaldo. For a long time, the 29-year-old was seen as the logical and obvious choice to fill that gap.

At the latest, when it became increasingly apparent in the second half of last season that Alonso would move to Real in the summer, rumors of a double coup with Grimaldo also gained momentum. Not least the Spanish portal 'Cadena SER' reported on it.

The technical wizard, who shone with mostly outstanding performances at Leverkusen and played a decisive role in the club’s first-ever championship in 2024, welcomed those reports with great pleasure. “My name as a candidate for a move to Real Madrid? That makes me very happy, honestly. It’s an honor,” he said in an interview with 'El Chiringuito‘.

But it is now absolutely clear that this wish will not become reality: Grimaldo is still under contract at Bayer and currently there is little to suggest a departure. Real, for its part, has filled the vacancy on the left side—with the very man who followed Grimaldo in Lisbon two years ago as a complete unknown!

Changing of the guard in the national team too?

And there is another dream that Carreras could shatter for his almost eight-year-older positional counterpart: participation in a World Cup with Spain.

If Alonso lets his new arrival off the leash right away, there’s a good chance he’ll make his debut for La Furia Roja during the season.

The starting left-back for Real Madrid, who is also only 22 years old, is unlikely to be ignored by Luis de la Fuente. Especially since, as a former U21 national coach, he has a particular fondness for young players.

Such a call-up would have serious consequences for Grimaldo: Currently, the Bundesliga player is clearly number two behind Marc Cucurella and won the European Championship title last summer as his backup.

But with Alejandro Baldé from FC Barcelona and Carreras, two highly talented left-backs are pushing into the team. Even before the start of the 2026 World Cup, at least one of the two is likely to make a serious claim for the spot behind Germany’s nightmare Cucurella.

From Grimaldo’s perspective, these two youngsters threaten his chance to participate in a World Cup for the first and—given his age—probably last time.

In any case, the free-kick specialist has never had it easy in the Spanish squad: Despite the retirement of the legendary Jordi Alba in September 2023, Grimaldo has so far only made a meager ten international appearances.

Ten Hag is to blame!

So it’s almost too bizarre to be true: Two years ago, the Bayer star probably wouldn’t have bet a single penny that his direct successor at Benfica could destroy his two biggest career dreams.

But also—and above all—because of Carreras’s rapid development, a move to Real Madrid on the one hand and participation in a World Cup with Spain on the other are moving further and further out of reach.

By the way: Erik ten Hag is “to blame” for this situation. The Dutchman had no use for the obviously highly talented defender at Manchester United. Ironically, that very Ten Hag is now Grimaldo’s coach at Leverkusen.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 MIGUEL RIOPA - AFP or licensors