Carlos Espí was officially presented as a Real Madrid player on Sunday, less than 24 hours after scoring the winning goal in the club’s 2-1 victory over Espanyol in their LaLiga opener.
The 21-year-old striker’s presentation took place privately in the boardroom at Real Madrid City, with president Florentino Pérez and honorary president José Martínez “Pirri” alongside him. Espí has signed a contract with Real Madrid through June 2031.
The presentation completed a memorable few weeks for Espí, whose
move from Levante came together quickly at the end of July. Real Madrid moved to sign the striker on July 30, paying his €25 million release clause after the club’s sporting department, including José Ángel Sánchez and Juni Calafat, worked on the deal in communication with Jose Mourinho.
Espí was training at Valdebebas with his new teammates the following day and has quickly made an impact despite not establishing himself as a regular starter.
The striker has scored three goals in his first five appearances for Real Madrid, finding the net against Ferencvaros and Schalke during preseason before scoring his most significant goal yet against Espanyol. Espí came through with the decisive goal at Cornellà to give Mourinho’s side three points in their opening league match.
His efficiency has been particularly notable. Espí has registered only six shots across his five appearances, with five of those efforts on target, but has already converted three of them into goals.
The move represents a rapid rise for a player whose situation was considerably different at the beginning of last season. Espí initially struggled for regular minutes at Levante before Luis Castro’s arrival as coach changed his role during the second half of the campaign.
Given a regular place in the starting lineup, Espí finished with 11 goals in 25 appearances and played a significant role in helping Levante avoid relegation. His performances were enough to generate discussion over whether he could earn a place in Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Now at Real Madrid, Espí spoke to the club’s television channel during his presentation and described what joining the club meant to him.
“Being at Real Madrid is an honor. I’m very happy for my family and myself. I’m going to give my all for this club. I was very impressed to see the 15 Champions League titles. This club is incredible: the facilities, the Bernabéu… they take care of every detail. And in terms of football, the squad is the best in the world. These have been incredible days and I can’t wait to step onto the Bernabéu pitch and be with the fans.”
Espí also reflected on his winning goal against Espanyol and admitted there had not been much sleep between the celebrations in Cornellà and his presentation in Madrid.
“Between the joy of the goal in Cornellà and my eagerness to come to the presentation, I slept very little. The moment of the goal was wonderful; we were all very euphoric, and it was a source of pride to see how happy everyone was for me…”
Espí posed alongside Pérez with his new No. 19 shirt, a number previously worn by Luka Modric during the Croatian’s early years at Real Madrid.
