To make your Real Madrid debut at 21. To score the winning goal in the 89th minute. To do it as the ultimate unknown in a team packed with stars. Done, done, done: all of a sudden, just like the finish that put Espanyol away in the league, Carlos Espí is the new name at Real Madrid. And really, how could it be otherwise? “When I saw the ball go in, I couldn’t believe it,” the youngster said with a smile after the game. “For me, this is a dream come true. And in the hours afterwards I barely slept: we got home at three in the morning, and between all the messages and the excitement it was hard to fall asleep. That moment was magical. Seeing all those players running over to celebrate with me is a huge source of pride, something I could never have imagined.” Because those players are Bellingham, Vinícius Jr. and Mbappé.
He, meanwhile, is simply Carlos, who until not long ago seemed like one more young striker among the many coming through in Spain. Having come through Levante’s reserve side, he had entered the first-team picture as early as 2024, but for almost two seasons he remained a permanent substitute. At most, a promising youngster at a club that, at the time, was still playing in the Segunda División. At one point, a few troublesome injuries held him back as well. Then came promotion to La Liga, and within a matter of months everything changed: Espí made the most of a starting opportunity last February, scoring twice against Alavés. From that moment on, he never gave up his place. He even finished the 2025/26 season in double figures, with 11 goals in 25 La Liga appearances.
For Levante, who secured survival thanks in no small part to his goals, it was a gift and then some. Because Espí — a powerful, old-school centre-forward — had soon attracted the attention of several Premier League clubs, with Hull City and Brighton leading the way. That alone would have been an unexpected ending. So imagine when Real Madrid came knocking, putting €25 million on the table for a contract until 2031: neither Carlos nor Levante could quite believe it. And that was only the beginning. Espí quickly carved out his own space in training and throughout pre-season, growing closer to José Mourinho in part because he chose, for now, to settle at Valdebebas — Real’s training complex, where the manager and his staff are based alongside other new arrivals such as Cucurella.
It helped speed up Espí’s adjustment, and he was taken seriously from the start. “He’s a striker with particular qualities, someone we needed in our team,” the Special One explained. “And he’s a very funny guy too. At Valdebebas we have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Me, my staff, him and Cucurella. It’s a very pleasant little group.” Mourinho was among the first to embrace Espí after the win over Espanyol, bringing him into the press conference with a flourish — rather ironically, the striker’s official presentation was supposed to take place around the same time, proof that even the club had not expected such an immediate impact. His teammates, on the other hand, had. “Carlos is a glitch, he’s Joselu Jr.,” Bellingham and Courtois have already dubbed him, evoking the technical resemblance to the former Newcastle and Alavés striker. “Watching him go up against Rüdiger or Konaté in training is impressive. He’s a talent, a really strong player who gives us something we didn’t have. That’s why he’s here.” Goals in the dying minutes included.