Hidden Gems FC: Why Barcelona, Man Utd, Real Madrid and more are chasing Levante hotshot Karl Etta Eyong

Etta Eyong grew up in the Cameroonian city of Douala - the same place that a young Samuel Eto'o called home - and as a 17-year-old was still playing his football on sandy pitches for modest youth side Galactique FC in the country's capital, Yaounde.

A midfielder who was inspired by Yaya Toure, pictures have since circulated of a teenage Etta Eyong wearing a Barcelona shirt, and it would be Spain where he would soon call his home, though not at the level of the Catalan giants. Instead he was picked up by Cadiz after being spotted by their scouts, and joined them as a 19-year-old, first playing for their academy sides before quickly graduating to the reserve team, at which team he began morphing into a forward player.

Etta Eyong was granted his first-team debut in January 2024 when he came on as a substitute against Alaves in La Liga, but that would prove to be his only senior appearance for Cadiz before he was snapped up by Villarreal that summer for a fee of €1.5 million. He again made a home for himself among the reserve ranks, though a twist of fate shortly after his arrival changed Etta Eyong's career forever.

"In my last year at Villarreal, there was an injury problem with another striker," he recalled to Canal+. £The coach looked at me and asked, 'Can you play in attack?' I replied, 'Yes, I can. No problem'." The rest, as they say, is history, and Etta Eyong went on to score 19 goals in 30 appearances for Villarreal B while also laying on six assists.

He was rewarded with a handful of first-team minutes towards the end of the campaign, and ensured he made himself known to fans of The Yellow Submarine by netting a dramatic late winner against Girona for his maiden La Liga goal.

That strike preceded an impressive pre-season over the summer of 2025, and by the time the new campaign came around, Etta Eyong was handed a starting role by Marcelino. The youngster took the opportunity and ran with it as he netted on the opening day against Real Oviedo before providing assists in each of the next two games before the end of August.

Despite that strong start to the campaign, Villarreal were forced to sell one of their prized assets after they spent big late in the transfer window to sign Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze from Lyon, and newly-promoted Levante jumped at the opportunity to add Etta Eyong to their frontline for the bargain price of just €3m.

The Cameroonian didn't miss a beat despite switching clubs, and scored in each of his first three appearances for Levante. He has netted twice in the subsequent four games, too, and earned his first caps for his county in October when he was thrown straight into the starting line up for Cameroon's crucial World Cup qualifiers.

With six La Liga goals for the season to date, only Mbappe and Alvarez have scored more than Etta Eyong, though Levante still look set for a season of battling against relegation after winning just two of their opening nine games following their return to the top-flight.

Etta Eyong has spoken of how he has modelled aspects of his game on not only Eto'o but also Didier Drogba, and there are similarities to both in how he goes about causing problems for defenders. The 22-year-old is supremely athletic, a huge physical presence, strong in the air and possesses lightning pace.

His off-ball movement also stands out, however, and Etta Eyong regularly finds himself in pockets of space thanks to his smart positional choices and body feints that he uses to fool opponents. Due to his background as a midfielder, he also doesn't shy away from his defensive duties, which should stand him in good stead both this season while he's in a struggling side but also when he gets a move to a more front-foot team.

Levante technical director, Hector Rodas, has already confirmed that there is interest from elsewhere in Etta Eyong, telling Las Provincias: "There aren't many players like him, so he attracts attention because of his qualities and his age. We have to enjoy him and hope he maintains this level. Then we'll get closer to our goal of staying up."

Etta Eyong has a €30m (£26.4m/$34.5m) release clause written into his contract, and the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been mooted as potential next destinations for one of the fastest-rising players in the sport. Were Etta Eyong to join Madrid, he would be able to share a dressing room with Mbappe, whose own father also hails from Douala. The pair exchanged shirts after both scored in Madrid's 4-1 win over Levante in September, with Etta Eyong describing the France captain as a "likeable, very nice guy".

Barcelona may well prove to be a more logical landing spot, however. Not only did Etta Eyong grow up supporting the Blaugrana, but Barca are also on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who turned 37 in August and has entered the final year of his contract. Taking a flier on a player in Etta Eyong would come with its risks given his lack of experience, but he would be a low-risk, high-ceiling option given the fee he would be available for.

For now, Etta Eyong is focused on surviving with Levante, but he seems destined for far greater things in the not-too-distant future. Surely that teenager on the sandy pitches back in Cameroon just three years ago couldn't have imagined being on such a trajectory.

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