Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has already labelled Carlos Espi as “Joselu Jr” after the striker saved Real Madrid’s blushes during the 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday.
Espi came on in the second half and scored the winning goal for Los Blancos, and was able to show exactly what he was brought in to do when Real Madrid paid 25 million euros to sign him.
Of course, Real Madrid fans would hope there is plenty more to come from the Spanish striker, and it looks like it will, because he is a great presence in the box, with or without his goals.
Jude Bellingham has already given Carlos Espi a nickname inspired by a former Real Madrid hero
Bellingham was asked about the player, and his impact off the bench, to which he said: “Carlos Espí came off the bench and scored a goal like Joselu Jr.”
It is a brilliant little comparison, I must say. Real Madrid fans, when Espi was first brought in, were talking about how great it would be to have a presence in the box like that of Joselu once again.
The team has struggled without a tall, physical presence inside the box, and with Espi, especially off the bench, it seems like a lot of that has returned with him.
It is not just the goals – Espi brings everything to the table. The link-up play that he showed with Kylian Mbappe alongside him, especially in the moment where he received the pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold to lay it off to the Frenchman, was really good.
He showed that he is not just a striker who is brought in to score goals like Joselu, to an extent, was. He is more than that. Espi provides so much of what a modern day number nine, mixed with the traditional, physical striker should provide, and it will be really interesting to see how he keeps developing.
Can there be a time when Espi scores so many goals that he actually warrants a starting spot? You can never count it out, but with the attack being as stacked as it is at the moment, it is tough to see that happen.
However, it should never be ruled out. After all, Espi is the first natural striker Real Madrid have permanently signed in over three years, since losing Karim Benzema in 2023.
It is going to be exciting times for Real Madrid fans to see Espi develop more and more, so that he keeps bringing last-minute goals and aerial presence like no one else in the squad.
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