"Not Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Clarence Seedorf, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Karim Benzema, Johan Cruyff, Gerd Müller, Sergio Ramos or Paolo Maldini. No, Dani Carvajal; the locally born kid with the warrior nature, a cop father and the youth team "Mirlo" -- the nickname given to promising Real Madrid youth prospects -- who Florentino Pérez chose to lay the first brick of Madrid's Valdebebas Sports City (Training Complex) 21 years ago."
"The last time Carvajal won the Champions League, he scored against Borussia Dortmund in the Wembley final, was man of the match, and told me: "To win my sixth Champions League is unimaginable. To enter this select group is unique. "Since I was a young kid, I've always played using all my strength and my friends always told me: 'Calm down, this isn't a Champions League match!'"
Dani Carvajal has become one of the most decorated figures in European Cup and Champions League history, winning the trophy six times and starting in six finals. He shares the six-title distinction with Paco Gento and Luka Modric, while matching Gento in starting those finals. Carvajal emerged from local Real Madrid youth ranks, nicknamed "Mirlo," with a combative playing style and working-class background. He scored and earned man-of-the-match honors in the Wembley final against Borussia Dortmund, and he describes winning a sixth Champions League as unimaginable and the pinnacle of club achievement.
Read at ESPN.com
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