Charles Jackson
Real Madrid fans are already dreaming of their 15th Champions League trophy after Carlo Ancelotti’s men managed to produce another incredible comeback in the semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu. On June 1st, Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley and they need to thank the hero of the night, as Joselu scored two goals in the last minutes of the game to take his club to the final. Real won the second leg 2-1 and advanced 4-3 on aggregate.
The 34-year-old Spanish striker returned to Real Madrid on loan with an option to buy in the summer of 2023 with one of the toughest challenges of replacing a player like Karim Benzema, who decided to leave the Spanish giants to join Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia. Saudi. Of course, Joselu was not alone in trying to replace the French legend, as Ancelotti also faced other players in that position, such as Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. in the game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Joselu began his career at Celta Vigo before joining Real Madrid Castilla and made his La Liga debut in 2010 under José Mourinho to replace the same Benzema. After that, he signed with several clubs and leagues across Europe while playing for Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hannover before joining Premier League side Stoke City in 2015. A season later, he returned to Spain and played for Deportivo La Coruña , but later returned to England and played two seasons for Newcastle. However, in all these spells, he was never able to make a big impact. In 2019, when he signed for Alavés, he scored 36 goals in three seasons.
The turning point in his career came later, during the 2022-23 season, when he scored 17 goals in 38 games for Espanyol and was called up by his former club Real Madrid to complete the squad’s attacking line. Los Blancos needed a suitable number 9, as all the other attackers in the squad did not have the pure characteristics of that position. Joselu, so far, has delivered and scored 16 goals in 46 games, including two unexpected goals against Bayern Munich. He is also a die-hard Real Madrid fan, having attended the 2022 final as a supporter with his father, and just two years later will play against Borussia Dortmund in London.
During the 2021-22 season, Real Madrid produced other incredible comebacks in the round of 16 against PSG, the quarter-finals against Chelsea and also the semi-finals against Manchester City, where players like Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo among others were able to produce something extraordinary en route to their 14th Champions League trophy. This season, the dream of winning the 15th trophy is only possible thanks to Joselu and his two goals in the last minutes of the game against Bayern.
Speaking of the future, it’s unclear what will happen to Joselu next season, but it seems difficult to see him staying at the club considering the possible signing of PSG star Kylian Mbappe and also the arrival of Brazilian talent Endrick, who is set to join Real Madrid. also this summer. If Joselu leaves, his two goals against Bayern Munich will forever remain in the history of this club and in the hearts of its fans. Considering his reputation before joining the club in 2023, it is definitely more than he could ever dream of.
