From Valencia's reject to the gates of La Roja: Espí's impossible rise continues

Two months ago nobody outside Spain had heard of him. Now Carlos Espí is scoring stoppage-time winners for Real Madrid and knocking on the door of the national team.

Details: Luis de la Fuente could call up Carlos Espí to the Spain national team after the striker scored multiple match-winning goals for Real Madrid this season, according to reports. The 21-year-old, signed from Levante for 25 million euros this summer, struck again in stoppage time against Elche on Tuesday night.

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Espí's rise is the stuff of scouting folklore. Rejected by Valencia as a youngster, the nearly two-meter forward worked his way up through Alzira and Levante, playing a key role in the latter's promotion to La Liga in 2025. This summer Real Madrid paid 25 million euros and tied him down until 2031, with José Mourinho personally calling to explain his role as the traditional number nine the squad lacked. The impact has been instant and dramatic: a decisive goal on his preseason debut in a 2:1 friendly win over Ferencváros, a winner to crown Mourinho's first official match in charge, and on Tuesday the crowning moment, a stoppage-time strike at Elche to complete a 3:2 escape after Madrid had squandered a two-goal lead, finishing a move crafted by Bellingham and served by Mbappé. Two goals in barely 25 minutes of league action. De la Fuente, the Euro 2024 winner still leading Spain into a new cycle after the World Cup, has never been afraid to trust youth, and a physical striker of this profile is exactly what La Roja's call-up pool has been missing.

It's worth noting that Espí has so far only featured for Spain at under-19 level, meaning a senior call-up would cap a rise from the second division to the national team in barely a year.

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