Joselu
José Luis Mato Sanmartín
Written by David Álvarez, Juan I. Irigoyen, Ladislao Moñino, Jon Rivas, Rafael Pineda and Juan L. Cudeiro for El País:
In May 2022 Joselu had just been relegated to the second division with Alavés, and travelled to Paris to watch the Champions League final in a Real Madrid shirt, just like any other fan. He went to support the team in whose youth academy he trained and for whom his brother-in-law, Dani Carvajal, played – their wives are twins. A year later he was relegated again, with Espanyol. Fast forward another year and he led Real to the Champions League final with two goals in the semi-final, after coming off the bench in the 80th minute. “My dreams are not as beautiful as today has been,” he said. He has had a few good ones recently: he has come to the national team late, making his debut a few days before his 33rd birthday and coming off the bench to score two goals in as many minutes against Norway.
