Dani Carvajal is widely regarded as one of Real Madrid's greatest homegrown players. Carvajal, who raised in Castilla and has spent his whole career at Real Madrid, has been a very exceptional player.
He's also been one of Real Madrid's most consistent players during his career, yet every great player must deal with detractors.
In a recent interview with the media, via MadridXtra, the right-back, who is currently recovering for the Club World Cup, was questioned about the most tough opponent he has ever faced. Carvajal identified former Barcelona star and one of the most exciting players of this generation, Neymar.
Real Madrid once made a bid to buy Neymar, which could have been the largest butterfly effect of the century
It is no secret that Real Madrid once invited a young 14-year-old Neymar to train at the club's facilities, where he also met Zinedine Zidane, an encounter described as "shaking" by the Brazilian legend.
At the time, Neymar pleased many at Los Blancos and scored numerous goals during the trial, but he was not signed. What a world it would have been if they had.
Neymar and Real Madrid later revealed that the club was pursuing the player. In an interview, club president Florentino Perez disclosed that the club made an offer to Santos for around 45 million Euros to recruit Neymar in 2011. The bid, of course, did not work.
I can't help but ponder what would have happened if Neymar had joined for Madrid instead of Barcelona. The future could have been quite different. Barcelona might not have won the Champions League in 2015, and the famous MSN trio might not have existed.
At the same time, if Neymar had been on Real Madrid's side in 2012, the shock against Dortmund might not have happened. But these are all ifs and buts, and the reality is that Real Madrid are doing fine, possibly much better than they could have been if Neymar had been a Madrid player.
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