Carlos Romero

Key strength: Pace and recovery

Overlapping full-back

At the very bottom of La Liga, RCD Espanyol Barcelona are drowning—20th place, just five points from safety, and a DWWLL run that screams relegation. Yet as the club sinks, 24-year-old left-back Carlos Romero continues to soar. In a season of despair, the Spanish international has emerged as Espanyol's unlikely savior and most valuable asset. With 5 goals and 2 assists across 30 appearances and 2,670 minutes, Romero's attacking output eclipses many of La Liga's forwards—a remarkable return for a defender. Valued at €25 million, he has transformed the left flank into his personal highway, using his recovery pace to launch blistering overlapping runs that leave opponents scrambling. His 70-rated defending provides the bedrock, but it's his ceaseless marauding that defines his game. Four yellow cards betray a warrior mentality in a sinking ship. While teammates falter around him, Romero fights on—each overlapping sprint a statement that he belongs on a bigger stage. In Espanyol's darkest hour, he remains the one spark that refuses to be extinguished.