In Spain, it’s a tradition for people to carry both their father’s and mother’s last names. Dani Olmo’s name follows this custom Olmo comes from his father’s side, and Carvajal is from his mother. This naming style gives us a peek into his family background and who he is beyond the football field.
A Spanish footballer born on May 7, 1998, Daniel Olmo Carvajal takes on key roles as an attacking midfielder and left winger. He plays for Barcelona in La Liga and is an important member of Spain’s national squad.
Dani Olmo football path began at La Masia before he took his first professional step with Dinamo Zagreb in 2015. Over his time there, he featured in 124 matches, scored 34 goals, and played a big role in winning five league championships and three cup titles. In 2020, he joined RB Leipzig, where he secured two consecutive DFB-Pokal wins and grabbed attention by netting a hat-trick in the 2023 DFL-Supercup. By 2024, Olmo returned to his boyhood club, Barcelona, to continue his football journey.
Olmo’s rise with Spain’s national squads kicked off in 2019, when he helped the under-21 team win the UEFA European Championship and later took home a silver medal from the 2020 Olympics. That year, he also debuted for the senior team and was key in pushing Spain to the Euro 2020 semifinals. In 2023, he played a part in Spain’s UEFA Nations League triumph. At Euro 2024, Olmo made a mark by finishing as one of the top goal scorers.
Football is a big part of Dani Olmo’s family. His dad, Miquel, was a forward who played in the lower leagues before he stopped playing. Dani’s older brother, Carlos, also became a footballer and plays as a defender. Carlos spent many years playing in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb’s second team and Lokomotiva Zagreb. Besides football, Dani is good at languages and can speak Spanish, Catalan, English, German, and Croatian very well.
Dani Olmo’s Club Story
Dani Olmo grew up in Terrassa, a town near Barcelona in Catalonia. When he was nine, he left his local team Espanyol to join Barcelona’s famous youth academy.
Playing for Dinamo Zagreb
At only 16 years old, Dani Olmo made a surprising move by joining Dinamo Zagreb on July 31, 2014. He played his first match for the main team on February 7, 2015, coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute during a 2–1 home win against Lokomotiva Zagreb. Then, on September 22, he scored his very first goal in an impressive 7–1 victory over Oštrc Zlatar in the opening round of the cup.
Dani Olmo extended his contract on August 22, 2016, committing to the club for four more years. He made a strong impact that season, scoring three times in only four games. His performance played a big part in leading the team to the cup final, although they fell 3–1 to Rijeka on May 31. Just before that, Olmo scored his first league goal in a dominant 5–2 victory at home against Rijeka, who were already crowned league champions.
On September 20, 2018, Olmo played a key role in Dinamo Zagreb’s big 4–1 win over Fenerbahçe in the Europa League. He helped set up the third goal for Izet Hajrović and scored the fourth himself. Later that year, on December 17, he was honored as the best player in Croatia’s top league, the Prva HNL. In the same month, Olmo ranked 11th in Tuttosport’s Golden Boy award, finishing ahead of well-known players like Kylian Mbappé and Josip Brekalo.
Olmo scored his team’s only goal during the Europa League Round of 32 clash with Viktoria Plzeň on February 14, 2019, although the match ended in a 2–1 loss. On June 3, he received double recognition as the best player and best young player of the 2018–19 Prva HNL season.
Despite a 2–1 loss to Viktoria Plzeň on February 14, 2019, Olmo made his mark by scoring the lone goal for his side in the Europa League Round of 32. His impressive form was recognized on June 3, when he was named the best player and best young player of the 2018–19 Prva HNL campaign.
On September 18, 2019, Olmo made his Champions League debut, playing a key role as Dinamo Zagreb won 4–0 at home against Atalanta. Then, on October 22, he scored his first goal in the competition, helping his team secure a 2–2 draw on the road against Shakhtar Donetsk. Despite his efforts, on December 11, Olmo netted Dinamo’s only goal in a tough 1–4 home defeat to Manchester City, with the team finishing last in their group.
Dani Olmo’s RB Leipzig Story
On January 25, 2020, Olmo signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. He made his debut just a week later, coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute during a 2–2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On February 4, he scored the only goal in a 3–1 DFB-Pokal defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt after replacing Amadou Haidara at halftime.
Olmo started his first match for Leipzig on February 9 in a goalless draw against Bayern Munich, before being subbed off in the 69th minute. He made a strong impact on June 12 by scoring both goals in a 2–0 win over 1899 Hoffenheim. Then, on August 13, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid, helping Leipzig reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history.
In the 2021–22 season, Olmo featured in four games as RB Leipzig lifted the DFB-Pokal trophy. He scored in a 2–0 round of 16 win against Hansa Rostock on January 19. In the final on May 21, Olmo came off the bench in the 69th minute for Kevin Kampl and converted a penalty in the shootout after a 1–1 draw with SC Freiburg. Late in extra time, he was fouled inside the box by Nicolas Höfler, which led to Kampl receiving a red card for protesting from the bench. On July 30, Olmo scored a consolation goal as a substitute in a 5–3 loss to Bayern Munich in the 2022 DFL-Supercup.
Dani Olmo Comeback to Barcelona
Returning to his roots on August 9, 2024, Olmo rejoined Barcelona the club where he first developed as a youth player signing a six-year contract worth around €60 million. He had to sit out the initial games versus Valencia and Athletic Bilbao due to salary cap registration problems. But on August 27, he made his much-anticipated debut, coming on as a substitute for Ferran Torres in the match against Rayo Vallecano and netting the winning goal late in the 82nd minute, securing a 2–1 away victory.
After overcoming an injury setback, Olmo maintained his sharp scoring touch, bagging his fourth and fifth goals in just five appearances, highlighted by a 3–1 win over Espanyol on November 3. Later that month, he made his mark in the Champions League by scoring his first goal for Barcelona during a 3–0 win against Brest on November 26.
Olmo’s Journey on the Global Stage
In 2015, Olmo was part of Spain’s squad at the UEFA Under-17 Championship in Bulgaria. During the quarter-finals, he successfully scored his penalty in the shoot-out, but Spain couldn’t advance as they were knocked out by Germany. Later, in a play-off match to qualify for the U-17 World Cup, Olmo once again stepped up for a penalty this time against England. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper Will Huffer saved his shot, and Spain faced another exit.
By 2017, while playing for Dinamo Zagreb, there was talk about Olmo possibly representing Croatia. The club’s director even mentioned efforts to help him get Croatian citizenship, as Olmo himself showed interest. But in the end, his heart stayed with Spain, and in October 2018, he proudly made his debut for Spain’s Under-21 team.
In the 2019 UEFA Under-21 Championship, Olmo truly stood out for Spain. He played four matches, scored three goals, and gave one assist — showing great skill, confidence, and smart play throughout the tournament. His most special moment came in the final, where he scored an important goal and was rightly named Man of the Match for his outstanding game.
In the 2019 UEFA Under-21 Championship, which took place in Italy and San Marino, Olmo played an important role for Spain. He took part in four games, scoring three times and assisting once, proving his talent and focus. His most memorable moment came in the final, where he scored a key goal that helped Spain win and earned him the Man of the Match award.
| Career Stage | Years | Team / Country | Appearances (Goals) |
| Youth Career | 2006–2007 | Espanyol | — |
| 2007–2014 | Barcelona | — | |
| Senior Career | 2014–2017 | Dinamo Zagreb II | 25 (3) |
| 2014–2020 | Dinamo Zagreb | 80 (20) | |
| 2020–2024 | RB Leipzig | 107 (17) | |
| 2024–Present | Barcelona | 25 (10) | |
| International Career | 2014 | Spain U16 | 3 (0) |
| 2015 | Spain U17 | 9 (1) | |
| 2016 | Spain U18 | 3 (1) | |
| 2018–2019 | Spain U21 | 14 (6) | |
| 2021 | Spain U23 | 7 (1) | |
| 2019–Present | Spain (Senior Team) | 43 (11) |
Olmo’s Senior Team Career
In November 2019, Olmo got his first chance to play for Spain’s senior team during the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Malta and Romania. Although Spain had already secured their place in the tournament, Olmo made his debut on November 15 by coming on as a substitute for Álvaro Morata in the 66th minute. Just three minutes after coming on, he scored a goal, helping Spain win 7–0 against Malta. Another newcomer, Pau Torres, also scored, making it a special moment since it was the first time in 30 years that two Spanish players scored on their debut in the same match.
Luis Enrique included Olmo in Spain’s 24-player squad for Euro 2020 on May 24, 2021. During the round of 16 match against Croatia on June 28, Dani Olmo was crucial in extra time, delivering two assists one to Morata and another to Oyarzabal that pushed Spain ahead 5–3. On July 2, in the quarter-finals versus Switzerland, the teams finished 1–1, sending the game to penalties. Olmo successfully scored his penalty, helping Spain clinch a 3–1 shootout win. In the semi-finals on July 6, Dani Olmo set up Morata’s equalizer against Italy, but after another draw and shootout, he missed his penalty, leading to a 4–2 defeat for Spain.
On June 29, 2021, Luis de la Fuente chose Dani Olmo to join Spain’s 22-player squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Olmo played a big part in Spain’s run to the silver medal, assisting a goal in the 1–1 draw against Argentina and then scoring and assisting in the 5–2 victory over Ivory Coast. He also started in the final against Brazil, where Spain narrowly lost 2–1, showing just how important he was to the team’s success.
On November 11, 2022, Luis Enrique chose Olmo to be part of Spain’s World Cup team. In the very first game against Costa Rica, Dani Olmo made a big impact by scoring the first goal and helping set up the seventh, as Spain won 7–0, their biggest win ever in a World Cup.
He also played in the tough 1–1 draw with Germany and the close 2–1 loss to Japan. In the knockout round against Morocco, Dani Olmo started the match, but after a 0–0 draw through extra time, Spain was sadly knocked out when they lost 3–0 in the penalty shootout.
Selected on June 7, 2024, for Spain’s 26-man UEFA Euro 2024 squad, Dani Olmo quickly became a standout player. He scored his first tournament goal in the round of 16 against Georgia, helping Spain cruise to a 4–1 victory.
The quarter-final against Germany was a highlight, where Dani Olmo goal and assist helped Spain secure a dramatic 2–1 win in extra time, earning him the Player of the Match award.
He followed that with a third goal in a tight 2–1 win over France. In the final versus England, Dani Olmo critical clearance on the goal line in the 90th minute helped Spain claim the title with a 2–1 victory. With three goals overall, Dani Olmo ended the tournament as a joint winner of the Golden Boot.
