‘He Called Me Every Name Under the Sun!’ – Real Madrid Captain Carvajal Defends Red Card After Heated Clash With Marseille’s Rulli

Real Madrid captain Daniel Carvajal saw red after appearing to headbutt Geronimo Rulli during their 2-1 win over Marseille on Tuesday.

The Champions League group stage delivered its first major controversy at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Real Madrid edged Olympique Marseille 2-1 in a dramatic encounter overshadowed by Dani Carvajal’s red card.

The flashpoint came in the 72nd minute with the score locked at 1-1. Carvajal, wearing the captain’s armband after replacing the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold early in the match, clashed with Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli. 

The Argentine shot-stopper went down theatrically after a heated exchange, prompting VAR to intervene. Referee Irfan Peljto, who had not seen the altercation directly, reviewed the incident and issued a straight red card to the Spanish defender.

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The dismissal left Real Madrid a man down in the closing stages, but Kylian Mbappe ensured the home side claimed all three points, converting a second penalty of the night to complete his brace. Marseille protested furiously, believing the spot-kick to be harsh, but Madrid held on for a nervy win.

After the final whistle, attention quickly shifted from Mbappe’s heroics to the controversy surrounding Carvajal. The 32-year-old right-back insisted he was unfairly punished and laid the blame squarely on Rulli.

‘He Called Me Every Name Under the Sun’ - Carvajal

“He called me every name under the sun,” Carvajal told Spanish reporters. “Then he threw himself to the ground to trick the referee! I just put my head in front of him—nothing more. There was no aggression.”

Rulli, however, offered a starkly different account. “Carvajal headbutted me,” the Marseille goalkeeper insisted. “Because of the height difference, his push caught me on the nose. 

“His reaction surprised me, but he knew immediately it was a mistake. I didn’t exaggerate—my nose really hurt. Fortunately, I’m okay now.”

Madrid manager Xabi Alonso struck a cautious tone in his post-match press conference. “We could have avoided the sending-off, which complicated things at the end,” he admitted. 

“It’s a shame, and we’ll have to discuss it internally. At the same time, the referee’s decision is another issue—we’ll review it carefully.”

Carvajal will now wait for UEFA’s disciplinary committee to determine the length of his suspension, which hinges on Peljto’s official match report. 

The absence could not come at a worse time for Alonso, who already faces the prospect of being without Alexander-Arnold for the upcoming group-stage trip to Kazakhstan, where Real Madrid face Kairat Almaty.

The right-back shortage leaves Alonso with difficult choices. Spanish media have tipped 18-year-old academy graduate Jesús Fortea for a possible debut, while another option could see a tactical shift to three central defenders, with Asencio deployed as a wing-back alongside Dean Huijsen and Éder Militão.

Whatever the solution, the incident has left Real Madrid facing an unwanted defensive headache just as their Champions League campaign begins to heat up.