Carlos Espi, Real Madrid player
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Carlos Espi had already given Real Madrid three points, and by the following day, he had given thousands of football fans a reason to open Wikipedia.
The young striker scored the decisive goal in Real Madrid’s dramatic 2-1 win over Espanyol, handing Jose Mourinho’s side their first victory of the 2026/27 La Liga season.
The goal, interestingly, created another remarkable story away from the pitch.
According to AS, Espi’s Spanish-language Wikipedia page received an astonishing 53,001 views on Saturday alone after his match-winning moment.
The figure made his article the most-viewed Spanish-language page on Wikipedia that day, which is an extraordinary surge for a player who was barely known to football fans only a few weeks ago.
Carlos Espi’s Real Madrid story is therefore the talk of the town.
First came his quick transfer from Levante. Then came his decisive goal. Now, the curiosity around one of Real Madrid’s newest faces is exploding.
Espi’s goal sees Real Madrid fans searching
Carlos Espi, Real Madrid player
Carlos Espi scored the winning goal vs Espanyol. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Football fans have a familiar habit when an unknown player suddenly decides a major game. The first question is usually, who is he?
Espi gave thousands of people that exact reason to start searching.
His late winner against Espanyol turned a difficult night into a perfect start for Real Madrid, and that goal changed the level of interest around him overnight.
Espi’s Wikipedia page had existed since April 5, 2024, when he was still making his way through the youth ranks at Levante.
Back then, his career could be summarised in little more than a few basic details. In fact, as per the outlet, just 17 people viewed the page on its first day.
Carlos Espi, Real Madrid player
Carlos Espi is the new internet sensation. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
By July 29, the day before his move to Real Madrid, the article had received a total of 60,983 views.
Then came the Espanyol winner and in a single day, the Carlos Espi Wikipedia page attracted 53,001 readers, nearly matching the total number of views accumulated over more than two years before his move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid signing attracting huge attention
Since signing for Real Madrid, almost 138,000 readers have visited Espi’s Wikipedia biography, but his goal against Espanyol took the attention to another level entirely.
What began as a short 151-word entry has expanded to include details of his professional journey, statistics and individual honours.
Notably, just 28 months ago, Espi was an unknown teenager at Levante, but now he is a Real Madrid summer signing whose name was being searched by tens of thousands of people after deciding a La Liga match.
Raul Asencio, Real Madrid player
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Raul Asencio had only just put one injury behind him and now, another problem from last season has returned to threaten the start of his new campaign.
According to MARCA, the Real Madrid centre-back has recovered from the quadriceps injury that kept him out earlier this season, but the shin issue he had been carrying since last season has flared up again.
Asencio, whose future at Real Madrid is uncertain, is already undergoing treatment at Valdebebas in what could be his final attempt to avoid surgery.
The plan is to reduce the tension around the affected area and allow the injury to heal properly. However, there is little room for error.
This means if the treatment does not produce the expected improvement, the defender will need an operation that could keep him out for between six and eight weeks.
The injury Asencio refused to let stop him
The shin issue first became a serious problem during the closing months of last season, when Real Madrid were already dealing with a shortage of available centre-backs.
Raul Asencio of Real Madrid
Asencio is facing a threat of surgery. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Asencio could have stopped and focused entirely on his recovery. Instead, he chose to continue.
The defender had become an important option at a difficult time for the team and was unwilling to step away while the squad needed bodies in defence.
Unfortunately, the problem had not healed as cleanly as expected. Asencio continued competing, while the medical staff attempted to find a solution that would allow him to keep playing without immediately sending him for surgery.
He underwent a minimally invasive procedure to treat the affected area of the tibia, where scar tissue and a poorly healed callus had developed.
The concern was that the condition could weaken the bone and potentially turn an existing fissure into something much more serious.
The treatment bought Asencio time. He was able to keep helping Real Madrid when they needed him most, but that decision has now come back into the picture.
Real Madrid give Asencio one last chance to avoid surgery
Raul Asencio of Real Madrid
Asencio’s shin issue has returned. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The latest setback comes just as Asencio had recovered from his quadriceps problem.
Rather than dealing with a completely separate injury, however, the defender is now struggling with the shin that troubled him throughout last season.
He has already started a new course of treatment at Valdebebas, with several sessions completed.
For now, the objective is to ease the pressure and tension in the affected area and allow the injury to settle without taking the more drastic route.
As a result, surgery remains an alternative rather than the immediate plan, but if this latest treatment fails, there will be little choice left.
Asencio would undergo surgery and face an expected absence of six to eight weeks, potentially taking him out for close to two months.