In terms of one season wonders, not many have been as successful in the last few years as Joselu Mato during his time at Real Madrid. In the summer of 2023, he arrived on a one-year loan from Espanyol, and at the time, it was a signing that was question as he was the striker arrival after Karim Benzema’s exit.
However, Joselu had a big impact at Real Madrid. He scored 18 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions, and without a doubt, he played a big part in Los Blancos winning the La Liga and Champions League titles.
Real Madrid had the option to sign Joselu for €1.5m as part of the loan agreement with Espanyol, but his desire was to move to Qatar, and ultimately, he ended up at Al-Gharafa. Speaking to Jugones (via MD), he opened up on the decision, and also interactions that he had at the time.
“Saying goodbye to Real Madrid was one of the most difficult moments of my life. I couldn’t make that decision with my heart because I would have stayed at the club all my life, I get goosebumps thinking about it. I thought about my family, my children and I think it’s positive in the long run, but at the time it was negative.
“When I decided to leave, I was unable to talk to my wife. Lucas Vazquez called me and I was unable to talk to him, as well as to Modric. I couldn’t find the words. Telling Ancelotti was difficult, as he was angry because he wanted me to stay.”
Joselu also admitted that it took him extra time to move on from leaving Real Madrid.
“I would have stayed playing five minutes. In my first two months in Qatar my head was still in Real Madrid. I remember that they tied the first game (1-1 against Mallorca) and I was trending on Twitter. People remembered me.”
