He had gone from Celta Vigo to Hoffenheim, Frankfurt and Hannover, from Stoke City to a club that now belongs to the Spanish third division. He stopped at the mediocre Newcastle and then at Alavés. He spent last season at Espanyol, unsuccessfully battling relegation. Joselu, this time last year, was a 33-year-old journeyman on the path to anonymity, until he was called by Real Madrid.
Now he is a Champions League hero.
For most of his winding career, you’ve probably never heard of him. But on Wednesday night, under the bright lights of the Santiago Bernabéu, he stunned Bayern Munich with two last-gasp goals in a Champions League semi-final. He rescued the kings of Europe from a 1-0 deficit. He sent Real Madrid, a club full of mystique and talent, to another Champions League final, with a spectacular 2-1 and 4-3 aggregate victory.
And when he heard the final whistle, he fell to the ground, with his body extended, his face in his hands and on the grass. Teammates piled on top of him.
Moments later, he looked around the palatial stadium, almost in disbelief, like anyone who has followed his journey.
Less than two years ago, he He went to Paris as a fan with a replica of the shirtto support Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Tonight and perhaps for eternity, it is the toast of the most successful football club of all time.
Theirs is the latest chapter in a long story whose outcome sometimes seems inevitable. Real Madrid, year after year, round after round, seems to find a way to make the Champions League magical. They won the first five European Cups, starting in the 1950s. They won eight between 1998 and the one in which Joselu encouraged them, in 2022.
The characters keep changing, but no matter who they are, no matter where they’re from, no matter how hard their opponent blasts their target, no matter how long they’re staring at a deficit, they rise to occasions like this.
They were trailing on Wednesday night after Alphonso Davies’ second-half goal put Bayern ahead 1-0 and 3-2 on aggregate.
But they were also losing in the quarterfinals. They trailed in every round until the 2022 final. There was almost no doubt they would come back.
