Etta Eyong - the rookie that makes Real and Barca keep an eye on him

Karl Etta Eyong has scored 6 goals in La Liga in the 2025/26 season.

Just four years ago, Karl Etta Eyong was playing on the rough, dry pitches of Douala, where the ball sometimes struggled to roll over the cracked earth. Today, he is in the bright lights of La Liga, scoring six goals in 12 games, behind only Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski and Julian Alvarez, the superstars of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

From an unknown player in Cameroon, Eyong is writing his own fairy tale.

The journey is not smooth

Etta Eyong, born in 2003, started his career at Ecole de Football Galactique, a small football academy in Douala, where he learned to fight with spirit rather than physical conditions. He played as a central midfielder, strong, hard-working and had a habit of rushing into every challenge. It was this fearless style of play that caught the eye of Cadiz scouts when they came to Africa to look for talent.

Moving to Spain at the age of 18, Eyong started at the Cadiz youth academy before moving to Villarreal in 2024. In just one season, he scored 19 goals in 30 games for the B team, a record that prompted the first team coach to call him up. Eyong made his La Liga debut in April 2025 and just two weeks later, scored the winning goal against Girona, opening a new chapter in his career.

At the beginning of the 2025/26 season, Eyong continued to flourish with 1 goal and 2 assists in the first three games for Villarreal. Everyone thought he would be the successor to Thierno Barry, who had just moved to Everton. But then on the last day of the September transfer window, Villarreal shocked everyone by selling him to Levante, a newly promoted team, for just 3 million euros.

Many people thought that was a big mistake. And it took just a few weeks for Eyong to prove it.

Karl Etta Eyong integrated very quickly with Levante.

Eyong joined Levante and settled in immediately. He scored 5 goals in his first 9 games, becoming the team's top scorer and the most talked about name in Valencia. Not only Levante fans, but also La Liga pundits took notice of Eyong.

Eyong’s style of play is very different. He is not a technical striker like João Félix or Vini Jr., but more of a “football warrior” who lives by reflexes and will. More than 80% of his shots come from inside the box, and three of his six goals this season have been opportunistic strikes from chaotic situations.

Against Mallorca in late October, Eyong lurked behind centre-back Antonio Raillo and fired a lightning-quick finish to level the score at 1-1. Before that, in the 2-0 win over Real Oviedo, he was there just in time to tap in a rebound from teammate Oriol Rey.

The most memorable goal was a header past Thibaut Courtois in a 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid. It was not only a consolation goal for Levante, but also a declaration that Karl Etta Eyong had truly arrived on the big stage.

What makes Eyong stand out is not just the goals, but the way he creates them. He doesn’t wait for opportunities, he forces them by constantly moving, forcing opponents to make mistakes. Eyong jumps in the box, shoulder presses, and is willing to take hits to gain position.

Karl Etta Eyong has the strength and jumping ability to score goals.

Despite being only 1.81m tall, Eyong is a very good header of the ball thanks to his clever positioning. His goal against Girona in May showed how delicately he moves, quietly slipping out of the sight of the two centre-backs, appearing at the right moment to head the ball into the net.

Not only is he strong in the 16.50 meter area, Eyong is also a deadly striker on the counter-attack. According to SkillCorner data, he is the striker with the most explosive accelerations in La Liga this season, reaching speeds of over 20 km/h after just a few steps, and ranks fourth in the league in terms of sprints per game.

At Levante, Eyong often dropped deep, stretched the defense, then accelerated to receive the through ball. He did not possess a refined finishing stroke, sometimes shooting hastily or with too much force, but he had the ability to create chances from nothing, an instinct that only natural strikers possess.

Hardworking machine and fighting spirit

In addition to his attacking skills, Eyong is also a true defensive striker. He presses relentlessly, fights one-on-one like a defender, and is ready to commit tactical fouls when necessary. In last month’s match against Mallorca, after a teammate was tackled, Eyong immediately dropped back into midfield, tackled Mateo Joseph and won the ball back.

The way he throws himself into every play has endeared him to Levante fans. In a squad lacking in stars, Eyong is a symbol of the fighting spirit that has helped the La Liga newcomers stand firm in the fierce competition.

Karl Etta Eyong is an interesting phenomenon of La Liga.

Eyong has two caps for Cameroon and is likely to feature at the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Despite his inexperience, he has caught the eye of Barcelona and Real Madrid, both of whom have sent scouts to watch him in recent games.

Eyong still has some work to do, especially in his final decision-making. He can be impatient at times, shooting when he should pass, or vice versa. But at 22, with energy and a natural goal-scoring instinct, Eyong is on the right track to becoming a great player.

In the context of La Liga losing many young talents, from Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich to Thierno Barry to Everton, Eyong emerged as a new symbol of the next generation.

From arid Douala to the lights of Mestalla, from underrated youngster to “fourth” in La Liga’s top scorer list, Etta Eyong is living proof of the saying: “It’s not where you start, but where you dare to go”.

If he continues to maintain this form, it is only a matter of time before the whole of Europe will have to remember that name, Karl Etta Eyong, the boy who once dreamed of a round ball in the scorching sun of Cameroon, has now become the new star of La Liga.

Source: https://znews.vn/etta-eyong-tan-binh-khien-real-va-barca-phai-de-mat-post1602067.html