Joselu’s blood-splattered socks – a sign of his Real Madrid commitment
It was almost midnight and temperatures felt close to freezing, but that seemed to matter little to Joselu, who cheerfully appeared in the post-game mixed zone in his blood-splattered socks and with the player of the match award under his arm.
The concrete floor of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium did not look much fun to stand on in your stockinged feet, but the Real Madridstriker had picked up a heel injury and, as it had to be treated, he preferred to go out to meet reporters with no boots on.
“It’s just a step that we’ll have to clean up now, but tomorrow I’ll be ready,” he said matter-of-factly. He was equally resolute in the match against Union Berlin.
Joselu’s two goals proved crucial in Madrid’s 3-2 triumph over Union Berlin, a victory that saw Carlo Ancelotti’s side finish the Champions Leaguegroup stage with six wins out of six. The 33-year-old will leave Germany — the country of his birth and where he lived until the age of four — smiling from ear to ear, but it has not been all plain sailing since his move to the Bernabeu in the summer.
Only two weeks ago, in the group match against Napoliat the Santiago Bernabeu, Joselu apologised to the crowd when celebrating his late goal to make it 4-2. He came on for the final half-hour that night and had missed five good chances inside the box before finding the net, a strike that ended a run of six appearances without scoring.
According to those who know him, Joselu was affected by the lack of goals during those weeks but knew he had no choice but to pick his head up — as he had done in the rest of his career.
Spending the previous decade playing for eight clubs in Germany, England and Spain has shaped him into the experienced and courageous striker he now is.
“You only ask for forgiveness if you try,” Ancelotti said of Joselu at the post-match press conference that night last month.
Following his arrival on loan from an Espanyolside who were relegated from La Ligalast season, Joselu assumed that he was going to have a secondary role. He was presented with the No 14 shirt although the No 9 was free following Karim Benzema’s departure to Saudi Arabia. But he is playing more minutes than he might have anticipated. He has been part of Madrid’s matchday squad 21 times out of a possible 22 and has played in each of those games, starting 10.
Successive injuries to team-mates have opened the door for a player who has suffered only one two-week muscle problem in the past five years. “Joselu is a great finisher and we have to take advantage of his quality,” said Ancelotti after Tuesday’s win.
In Berlin, his two headed goals helped Madrid recover from going behind to lead 2-1. Union equalised once more but Dani Ceballosgot a late winner. Joselu again missed four shots from inside the box, but he created six scoring chances in helping link up Madrid’s attack.
In the 1,069 minutes he has now played this season, he has scored eight goals and provided two assists, roughly a goal involvement every 106 minutes of football. Despite not being an undisputed starter, he’s the third-highest scorer in the squad, only behind Bellingham (16 goals) and Rodrygo(nine). Both have played over 500 minutes more than him.
It would be fair to say Joselu has exceeded expectations and that is why few fans at the Bernabeu felt the need for his apology when celebrating that goal against Napoli, despite it coming after several glaring missed chances.
The affection works both ways.
Joselu first joined Madrid from Celta Vigoas a 19-year-old in 2009 and despite not being able to make his breakthrough into the first team back then, he made one six-minute La Liga appearance (though he did score in that time) before a 2012 move to Hoffenheim in Germany. He has never hidden his fondness for the club, even when playing for their opponents.
The symbiosis he has found in the dressing room, where he has joined up with his brother-in-law Dani Carvajal, former team-mates from the Madrid academy days and young internationals with whom he speaks English, like Bellingham, has sweetened this season and made him an even more important figure.
As The Athletichas already detailed, Madrid have an option to make his loan permanent for only €1.5million(£1.3m; $1.6m) at the end of the season, by which time he will be 34. And although he has admirers in the United States and Saudi Arabia in particular, Joselu is happy at home.
https://theathletic.com/5133377/2023/12/13/real-madrid-champions-league-union-berlin-joselu/
Joselu’s blood-splattered socks – a sign of his Real Madrid commitment
It was almost midnight and temperatures felt close to freezing, but that seemed to matter little to Joselu, who cheerfully appeared in the post-game mixed zone in his blood-splattered socks and with the player of the match award under his arm.
The concrete floor of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium did not look much fun to stand on in your stockinged feet, but the Real Madridstriker had picked up a heel injury and, as it had to be treated, he preferred to go out to meet reporters with no boots on.
“It’s just a step that we’ll have to clean up now, but tomorrow I’ll be ready,” he said matter-of-factly. He was equally resolute in the match against Union Berlin.
Joselu’s two goals proved crucial in Madrid’s 3-2 triumph over Union Berlin, a victory that saw Carlo Ancelotti’s side finish the Champions Leaguegroup stage with six wins out of six. The 33-year-old will leave Germany — the country of his birth and where he lived until the age of four — smiling from ear to ear, but it has not been all plain sailing since his move to the Bernabeu in the summer.
Only two weeks ago, in the group match against Napoliat the Santiago Bernabeu, Joselu apologised to the crowd when celebrating his late goal to make it 4-2. He came on for the final half-hour that night and had missed five good chances inside the box before finding the net, a strike that ended a run of six appearances without scoring.
According to those who know him, Joselu was affected by the lack of goals during those weeks but knew he had no choice but to pick his head up — as he had done in the rest of his career.
Spending the previous decade playing for eight clubs in Germany, England and Spain has shaped him into the experienced and courageous striker he now is.
“You only ask for forgiveness if you try,” Ancelotti said of Joselu at the post-match press conference that night last month.
Following his arrival on loan from an Espanyolside who were relegated from La Ligalast season, Joselu assumed that he was going to have a secondary role. He was presented with the No 14 shirt although the No 9 was free following Karim Benzema’s departure to Saudi Arabia. But he is playing more minutes than he might have anticipated. He has been part of Madrid’s matchday squad 21 times out of a possible 22 and has played in each of those games, starting 10.
Successive injuries to team-mates have opened the door for a player who has suffered only one two-week muscle problem in the past five years. “Joselu is a great finisher and we have to take advantage of his quality,” said Ancelotti after Tuesday’s win.
In Berlin, his two headed goals helped Madrid recover from going behind to lead 2-1. Union equalised once more but Dani Ceballosgot a late winner. Joselu again missed four shots from inside the box, but he created six scoring chances in helping link up Madrid’s attack.
In the 1,069 minutes he has now played this season, he has scored eight goals and provided two assists, roughly a goal involvement every 106 minutes of football. Despite not being an undisputed starter, he’s the third-highest scorer in the squad, only behind Bellingham (16 goals) and Rodrygo(nine). Both have played over 500 minutes more than him.
It would be fair to say Joselu has exceeded expectations and that is why few fans at the Bernabeu felt the need for his apology when celebrating that goal against Napoli, despite it coming after several glaring missed chances.
The affection works both ways.
Joselu first joined Madrid from Celta Vigoas a 19-year-old in 2009 and despite not being able to make his breakthrough into the first team back then, he made one six-minute La Liga appearance (though he did score in that time) before a 2012 move to Hoffenheim in Germany. He has never hidden his fondness for the club, even when playing for their opponents.
The symbiosis he has found in the dressing room, where he has joined up with his brother-in-law Dani Carvajal, former team-mates from the Madrid academy days and young internationals with whom he speaks English, like Bellingham, has sweetened this season and made him an even more important figure.
As The Athletichas already detailed, Madrid have an option to make his loan permanent for only €1.5million(£1.3m; $1.6m) at the end of the season, by which time he will be 34. And although he has admirers in the United States and Saudi Arabia in particular, Joselu is happy at home.
https://theathletic.com/5133377/2023/12/13/real-madrid-champions-league-union-berlin-joselu/
