Since the departure of Brazilian Marcelo in the summer of 2022, Real Madrid has been suffering from a clear gap in the left-back position, as none of the substitutes, such as Ferland Mendy or Fran Garcia, have succeeded in filling the void left by one of the most prominent stars of the left flank in the club's history.

During the summer transfer window of 2025, Real Madrid completed a new deal by signing left-back Alvaro Carreras from Portuguese Benfica for 50 million euros, in a move the club hopes will end the struggles of this position.

According to the Spanish newspaper "AS", Real Madrid has great confidence in Carreras to be the true successor to Marcelo, after years of unsuccessful experiments despite some positive moments from Mendy and Fran Garcia.

The newspaper pointed out that the left flank had a clear dominance in the past, starting with Roberto Carlos, who shone for 11 seasons from 1996 to 2007, then Marcelo, who took over and continued for 16 seasons, during which he was the primary choice for most years, except for a season where Quentin stood out.

It continued that the decline began in the 2019/2020 season with the rise of Mendy's role, but no player managed to establish themselves with the same strength, leading to Fran Garcia, who could not impose himself, prompting the club's management to sign Carreras, the second most expensive defender in the history of the Merengues.

Coach Xabi Alonso sees that Carreras has great potential that qualifies him to become an indispensable key player in the team in the coming years.

Carreras's contract with Real Madrid extends until the summer of 2031, after joining from Benfica this summer.