In an exclusive interview with "Le Monde", Carvajal reviewed his long and difficult recovery process after suffering a serious knee injury, and talked about the upcoming National Derby, teammates Vinicius and Mbappe, as well as head coach Xabi Alonso and other topics.

Q: How do you feel that El Clasico is more than just an ordinary game?

Carvajal: It can be felt from every aspect. From the number of tickets you get asked for, to the more things people say to you on the street...

Q: Are you still haunted by the losing streak against Barcelona last season?

Carvajal: Rather than being resentful, it is better to say that we desire revenge. Regardless, the league is still long. It's just one game, three points. So, win or lose, nothing happens (definitively), but yes, on an emotional level, winning this game means a lot to us and our fans.

Q: Okay, how are you feeling?

Carvajal: Very good, very good. I will be able to practice with the team this week and I think I will be able to play on Sunday.

Q: What is the most difficult part? Rodri once said that the hardest thing is to regain those movements that were natural before.

Carvajal: Yes, there are some moves that your brain needs to think more about before you can do them. It used to be natural, but now it’s more effortful. It's as if your brain is telling you: "I can do this action, this action, let's see..." This is a temporary process until everything becomes automatic again.

Q: Are you scared?

Carvajal: I'm not afraid, not now, and never before. Some days you will feel more uncomfortable and other days better. But I agree with De La Fuente that all football players experience discomfort. Discomfort, yes, but fear, not.

Q: What was your mentality like this past year?

Carvajal: To be honest, it was much better than that time in 2021. At that time, I suffered a lot of injuries and experienced many repetitions. This time, it is more like a process of adjusting your mentality, telling yourself "I have been seriously injured, a long-term injury", and knowing that you must overcome it step by step and shorten the recovery time... You need to be mentally prepared for this. The 2021 one was much worse because I was just injured, recovering, starting to see the light, and then went down again. It was really much more frustrating that time.

Q: What have you learned in the past year?

Carvajal: Well, cherish everything more. Enjoy every day of training, go to the training ground and participate in every game with the brightest smile every day. This is something I probably didn’t know how to do before. In the past, if I didn't start, I would go home and be angry. Not now, now um, I look at it another way. I enjoy the little things more because a few months ago I was in shit, so now I'm just happy to be in the squad. See the positive side of things. Enjoy things you never appreciated before.

Q: Has your personality changed?

Carvajal: I think it's changed in the areas we're talking about. My wife, my family, they all remember very clearly that I used to get angry over every little thing and be very demanding of myself. Now I enjoy the little things, which makes me a little happier.

Q: Do you have time to think about what you will do after your football career is over?

Carvajal: No, because now I can't imagine life without football. So, as long as my mind can hold on, I will keep fighting.

Q: This is a somewhat obvious question, but who did you rely on?

Carvajal: There is no doubt that my wife is the person who has tolerated me the most this year.

Q: What’s the worst thing?

Carvajal: The pain, that is to say, the pain after surgery, the first 10 days and two weeks, was very severe. Sometimes I was having breakfast with my wife and I remember having to take increasingly stronger medications every two hours. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. I tried going downstairs to eat but could only last two minutes at the table before I had to go back to the couch and lie down because I couldn't stand the pain. That was the toughest time.

Q: Did you watch a lot of football games at that time?

Carvajal: Well, it was difficult for me to go to football at first and I wanted to get away from it for a while. But then the craving came back.

Q: How would you define Xavi Alonso as a coach?

Carvajal: He is a young coach. When I say young, I mean that he is a coach with young ideas and is eager to take the initiative rather than wait. He is also a coach who often adapts to his opponents, changing formations to find ways he thinks will hurt them the most. I like this.

Q: Has he asked you for help?

Carvajal: Not asking for help. We chatted a few times and talked about various things, like where I thought the roster could improve, what he thought about it...

Q: Will the controversy surrounding Vinicius end?

Carvajal: Well, sir, I don’t know, but what was the controversy about Vinicius in that Getafe game? A player, on the other side of the court, reaches out and hits you in the neck and face. Well, I think there's nothing to argue about.

Q: How did you try to help him?

Carvajal: We try to get him to focus on football because when he focuses, he is one of the best players.

Q: What are the best qualities of Mbappe that we don’t see?

Carvajal: Well, he's a great guy. He came into the dressing room with a smile and fit in from the first minute. He's a normal guy who doesn't look down on anyone, which I think is important considering who Mbappe is.