Carlos Espí was offered to Barcelona for €25 million. Now he is rescuing Real Madrid

Carlos Espí could have joined Barcelona before the start of the season. According to Sique Rodríguez of Cadena SER, the striker’s representative offered him to the Catalan club following his impressive spell at Levante.

Barcelona reportedly rated the player but decided against paying €25 million for a forward who was unlikely to start regularly. Hansi Flick was also looking for different attacking profiles. Real Madrid made a different calculation — and Espí has already rewarded it with two match-winning goals.

BARCELONA WANTED A DIFFERENT PROFILE

The story does not involve a Barcelona bid or advanced negotiations. Espí was proposed to the club, which assessed the opportunity and rejected it because of the price, his projected role and the type of striker the coaching staff wanted.

There was a reasonable sporting argument behind that position. Spending €25 million on a likely substitute is a major commitment. Football, however, has supplied an awkward early comparison: the substitute Barcelona considered too expensive has already decided two league matches for Real Madrid.

TWO GOALS, SIX POINTS

Espí first delivered away to Espanyol, scoring the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 2–1 victory on the opening matchday of the La Liga season.

He repeated the feat against Elche. Real surrendered a two-goal lead and were level at 2–2 when José Mourinho introduced Espí and Endrick in the 86th minute. In stoppage time, Bellingham drove the move forward, Mbappé supplied the final pass and Espí converted the winner.

Real did not need to build their attack around him. They needed a striker capable of entering late, occupying the penalty area and turning one opportunity into three points. So far, that plan has worked twice.

BARCELONA CHOSE HAMZA

Barcelona opted for a cheaper, longer-term project. Cadena SER reports that the club invested €1.5 million in Hamza Abdelkarim, while Barcelona have officially confirmed that the Egyptian forward renewed his contract until 2030.

The two players have different profiles and are at different stages of their development, so a definitive verdict would be premature. The immediate contrast is still uncomfortable for Barcelona: their investment is designed for the future, while Real have already collected six league points through a player recruited for a supporting role.

Barcelona decided that such a role was not worth €25 million. Real found a clear use for it — and Espí has turned limited minutes into decisive results.