Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Joselu has been a breath of fresh air for Real Madrid. When he arrived on loan from Espanyol, not much was expected of him, but the 33-year-old has managed to defy odds to the extent that he has scored 11 goals for the team.
At this point, the stat may seem pretty ordinary for a striker, but what makes it appealing is that among his teammates, he sits 14th on the list of minutes played, having clocked just over 1200 minutes across all season.
Despite the irregularity in minutes, Joselu is currently the third-highest goalscorer at Real Madrid, after Jude Bellingham (17) and Rodrygo (12).
Carlo Ancelotti and his staff are impressed
Joselu has played all but one game for Real Madrid this season, but he hasn’t had as many minutes as his teammates.
To put things in perspective, he is scoring a goal every 114 minutes, which is the best in the team. For comparison, Bellingham scores every 131 minutes, Rodrygo every 186 minutes, and Vinicius every 149 minutes.
As a result of his burst, Spanish publication AS has mentioned that Carlo Ancelotti and his coaching staff are really delighted with Joselu’s attitude and his performance on the field.
Whether his loan deal will be made permanent remains to be seen and will likely depend on if he is able to maintain his current goalscoring returns.
Joselu was supposed to be an understudy
“We all know Benzema’s level, I come to do another type of work. I am a more physical player and I know what I can contribute,” said the 33-year-old during his presentation upon his arrival.
Karim Benzema had just departed and Real Madrid needed someone to at least fill the void. In that scenario, Madrid used a special clause that let Joselu go for free if Espanyol got relegated.
Despite the clause, Madrid paid €500,000 for his loan and they also agreed to pay an extra €1.5 million if they decide to keep him.
For now, everything is working in Joselu’s favour but Endrick’s arrival in the summer followed by the presence of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and even Brahim Diaz would make it difficult for him to get minutes next season.
