In 2005, set a new record when he was purchased by Real Madrid for €27 million, more than a Spanish defender had ever cost before
Has been working with UNICEF since 2007, and in 2014 became an ambassador for the UNICEF Spanish Committee
At the end of 2017 had the record for the most red cards ever shown to a Real Madrid player, with 24 red cards to his name
Plays the guitar and considers music to be a very important part of his life, saying that he will listen to music in any and every spare moment
After an incident during the 2018 Champions League final, was the subject of a petition in which nearly half a million people signed an online petition calling for FIFA and UEFA to punish him for supposedly intentionally injuring Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah