In Stuttgart, the distance between 57 Friedhofstße and the MHP Arena is 4.6 kilometres. A distance that would be irrelevant for Spanish football if it were not for the fact that the mother of José Luis Mato, a striker for the Spanish national team and, until last season, a Real Madrid player, walked it. “When we lived here, my mother went to that stadium to watch Stuttgart matches. They have been treated very well here,” recalls Joselu. At that time, Stuttgart’s football home was called the Neckarstadion (1949–1993). Before that, it had been named the Stuttgarter Kampfbahn (1929–1933), the Adolf-Hitler-Kampfbahn (1933–1945) and the Century Stadium (1945–1949); and later the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (1993–2008) and Mercedes-Benz-Arena (2008–2023). “My mother and sister have a lot of memories. It will be special for them,” explains the striker.
Around 800,000 Spaniards emigrated to Germany between 1960 and 1980. The last wave included Román Sanmartín and Elvira Mato. Their son Joselu was born in Stuttgart in 1990. “I returned to Spain when I was three,” says the Spanish footballer. “But,” he added, “my mother and sister taught me the respect that exists in this country. And that is how I have been raised since I was little.”
Back in Galicia, Joselu started out in the Silleda youth system until he was snapped up by Celta at the age of 13. However, it didn’t take long for him to catch the attention of the big clubs. In 2009, he moved to Real Madrid Castilla. Under Jose Mourinho, he made his debut at the Santiago Bernabéu in May 2011. Despite having scored in the Cup against Ponferradina in his second match, his place at that time was not yet at Chamartín. It was then that Germany came back into his life: in the 2012-2013 season he signed for Hoffenheim. His first goal was bathed in nostalgia: he saved it for the stadium where his mother and sister used to go. On 26 September 2012, Joselu scored the 0-2 in Hoffenheim’s thrashing of Stuttgart (0-3). He then played for Eintracht and Hannover 96. At one point he even considered changing his passport: “My wish is to be able to apply for German citizenship, and ultimately maybe even play for the German national team. But this is only the second step, the first is to take this path and help the team.”
But life had other colours in store for Joselu. His colours: those of Spain. After a journey through the Premier League (Stoke City and Newcastle) and La Liga (Deportivo, Alavés and Espanyol), Joselu returned to the Santiago Bernabéu. And, this time, his contribution would not be exuberant, but it would be decisive. Once again, with Germany on the way. In the semi-final of the last Champions League, the forward scored a double in Madrid’s comeback against Bayern Munich at Chamartín. Before that, he had already earned his debut with La Roja. “It’s not easy to arrive at Madrid at 33 and achieve what we have achieved. Nor is it easy to be in a European Championship. I have enjoyed every moment in the countries I have played in and it has helped me to be here today,” said Joselu, before talking about his new stage in Qatar. With the additions of Mbappé and Endrick, his place was no longer at the Bernabéu.
“I am motivated by the desire to continue competing,” he explained about his move to Al-Gharafa. “My role was not going to be the same. I am going to a country that is very good for the well-being of my family. It is the perfect moment. I did not want to go to another European club to try what cannot be achieved by doing it at Madrid. I have fulfilled a dream by being in the first team and winning the Champions League.” Now he has another dream: to kick his friend Kroos out of the Euros. Germany again, Stuttgart again: “This was my first goal in the Bundesliga and I hope I can repeat it. We hope to retire Toni on Friday.”
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