Carreras, an unwitting protagonist: how a smile on the Real Madrid bench caused more controversy than expected

Álvaro Carreras has become a protagonist without meaning to. It is not something he went looking for. If it had come to it, the Galician would have liked that attention to be because he was enjoying a great season both individually and collectively, but that has not been the case. Poor results have dragged every Real Madrid player into difficult situations, and the academy graduate has not escaped them.

The full-back is where he wants to be: at Real Madrid. He knows the final stretch of the campaign still has to be completed, but his mind is already on resetting once the final LaLiga game is over and starting to think about whatever positives may come next.

Carreras’ two incidents

In recent days, he has been caught up in two issues unrelated to strictly sporting matters. The first was one he clarified himself in a statement. He acknowledged an incident with Rüdiger, settled and completely forgotten. The surprise came because of the timing of its disclosure, almost three months after it happened, with its unpleasant and out-of-place social charge, the kind that always ends up taking a toll.

The second matter is more recent and concerns a smile of his on the bench during the game against Espanyol. At no point was that gesture aimed at Fran García or any other teammate. His respect for everyone is absolute. All he did was react to a signal from a member of the medical staff suggesting he was the one chosen to replace Mendy. He knew that was not the case, and that is why he reacted with that smile.

What happened was analyzed and judged without listening to the protagonist or, at the very least, without knowing his intention. As this newspaper has learned, he was not questioning the substitution, much less his teammate. It was simply a reaction to a gesture from one of Real Madrid’s staff members on the touchline. Nothing more.

In his first year back in white, Carreras has experienced both sides of the coin. But if there is one thing he is clear about, it is that giving up is not in his nature, and that his success depends on helping the collective cause and Real Madrid’s common interest.

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