Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal admits “I have a lot of suppressed anger” after injury prevented him from representing Spain at Euro 2016.
Carvajal pulled up with a thigh injury during Madrid’s penalty-shootout victory over Atletico in the Champions League final last Saturday to rule him out of the European Championship, and he made his heartbreak known in a radio interview with Cadena SER.
“I was out of the last squad and worked hard to be in that prelist, now look…,” he said.
“I have a lot of suppressed anger. I struggled for the past two years to get into the squad and feel let down by the bad luck I’ve had.
“I had two weeks with a little discomfort in preparing for the final and after 15 minutes I felt some pain.
“I held up for the rest [of the first half] as best I could, and when I started the second half, I could no longer take it.
“At half-time, I told the physios that I’d felt a twinge and told Danilo to start warming up in case I didn’t last the whole game.
“The physios then told me, ‘if you feel something else, come off’, but they know that I’d have to be very hurt for me not to play.
“I was terrified about whether I did more damage. I held out as best I could until I had to say ‘enough’.
“I’m a player who handles pain well, but I knew I had to come off and I’ve surely missed the Euros.
“I had many feelings [in Milan] … I was so excited because I’d given everything and was proud because I did everything possible to help the team, but I couldn’t be selfish, and knowing that I’d been booked, I was facing [Yannick] Carrasco and couldn’t play at 100 percent, I decided to ask to come off.
“It was a disappointment and somewhat bittersweet for me, but at least the team won, and that’s the most important thing.”
