Dani Carvajal believes Real Madrid will soon be back at the top after bidding an emotional farewell to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Carvajal, along with David Alaba and head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, were all saying goodbye to Madrid and signed off with a 4-2 win over Athletic Club on the final day of the LaLiga season, meaning they finished eight points behind Barcelona.

On his 451st appearance, Carvajal teed up Gonzalo Garcia to get the scoring underway, with Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz also on the scoresheet.

Gorka Guruzeta and Urko Izeta both scored in stoppage time at the end of either half for Athletic, who could not sign off with a win in Ernesto Valverde's final game.

Madrid endured another trophyless campaign, with neither Xabi Alonso nor Alvaro Arbeloa able to end their wait for silverware, having also fallen short domestically in 2024-25 under Carlo Ancelotti.

But Carvajal is confident Madrid will be challenging for trophies once more, backing them to find their previous success again.

"It's not an easy time for me to speak because I'm so excited about this great farewell," Carvajal said.

"First of all, I would like to thank our president, Don Florentino [Perez]. He was the one who brought me back from Germany, and we have won many Champions Leagues together, but if I have to take one thing away from me, it is that not even 24 hours after my knee injury, he did not hesitate to renew my contract.

"Then I wanted to thank my team-mates; we haven't had two easy seasons, but I'm sure we'll win again. This is Real Madrid, and we have to get back up, as our history says.

"I can't help but remember the golden age. I cannot help but remember this golden age that we have lived.

"We put an end to a wonderful era, four Champions League in five years, that Decima, three in a row, Cristiano, Ramos, Ancelotti, [Zinedine] Zidane... Countless names that have overlooked this shield. They made us great and took us to the top."

Mbappe was key to Madrid signing off with a win as his strike took his tally to 49 goal involvements in 47 appearances across all competitions (43 goals, six assists) – one more than he managed in his debut campaign.

With rumours of a spat surrounding him and Arbeloa before the head coach's departure was announced, Mbappe celebrated his goal with the Spaniard on the touchline.

Arbeloa cancelled his final press conference with the club following the match, with widespread reports suggesting Jose Mourinho is set to make a sensational return to his former club.