The 34-year-old right-back posted the image — taken on the pitches where he has trained since childhood — with the message: "Last day where I grew up, worked and fought to reach my dreams. We will see each other in another version of me."
The words left the door open to a return in a different role, but brought a definitive close to his playing career at the club he joined as a ten-year-old. Carvajal's final league appearance comes on Saturday against Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Real Madrid will pay tribute to him in front of the home crowd.
His record at the club is extraordinary. Over 451 appearances he won 27 trophies, including six Champions Leagues, six FIFA Club World Cups and four LaLiga titles. He is one of only five players in history to have won six European Cups. He scored the winning goal in the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley, where he was also named man of the match.
Carvajal laid the first stone of the Valdebebas training ground more than 20 years ago as part of the club's Under-12 A squad, at a ceremony that included the late club icon Alfredo Di Stéfano. The fact that his final training session took place on those same pitches on Friday carries its own weight.
His final season was disrupted by a serious knee injury suffered in October 2024. He returned in January but has made only nine LaLiga appearances since, and was not included in Spain's preliminary World Cup squad.
Relations with outgoing coach Álvaro Arbeloa were strained in the final weeks. Reports suggest Carvajal organised a farewell dinner for the squad, club staff and technical personnel but did not extend an invitation to Arbeloa, reflecting a breakdown between captain and coach in the closing months of the season.
The Bernabéu will say goodbye to him properly on Saturday.