Joselu attends to the representatives of Prensa Ibérica on the hottest day of the concentration. After an autumnal Monday afternoon, with a lot of rain and lazy temperatures, Tuesday dawned summery, with the thermometer exceeding 27 degrees. The forward arrives at the box where we wait for him with a smile and joking, as almost always. It’s his usual mood, although he immediately gets serious when we start recording the interview. The forward (Stuttgart, 1990) has not yet made his debut in this Euro Cup, since Morata started against Croatia and De la Fuente chose Mikel Oyarzabal to replace him. The Madrid player hopes to make his debut this Thursday against Italy, a team that brings back “good memories.”
-Good afternoon, how are you experiencing this concentration in Donaueschingen?
-As a privileged person, because being here in a European Championship with the Spanish team as a player is a privilege.
-A match arrives against a rival that brings back good memories like Italy.
-The last game was the semifinals of the Nations League, a very special game because it gave us a place in the final of the last title we won. Happy for that goal, but, above all, happy for the work of the entire team in that competition.
-This season he has earned a place in Real Madrid and in the national team with his goals. Has his status as a footballer changed? Do you notice more respect from rival defenders?
-In the end when you play for a club like Real Madrid, everyone takes you into consideration, thank God. Real Madrid is characterized by having the best players in the world and for rivals it does not only depend on one player, although it is clear that there are players who individually stand out much more. What is true is that any team that plays against Real Madrid, and I have experienced it from the other side, always respects all its players more, the 25 on the squad. This year we had a great team and there is the data. Any team is intimidated by facing Real Madrid.
-He confessed to us after scoring the two goals against Bayern, that at that moment he remembered the relegations he has experienced recently. Have the failures marked you more than the successes in his career?
-Of course. Unconsciously, those thoughts come to your head. They are moments of happiness, like the one with Bayern, and you try to escape from that, but I am a very sensitive person and those feelings appear when things are positive. I have had tough moments during my career and having a year like last season in my career has been incredible.
-You were born just over 100 kilometers from here, in Stuttgart. Do you feel something special about playing the Euro Cup here?
-I have been in Germany for a few years, but it is true that my family has been there longer and this country has treated them very well. My mother has spent 22 years working here. It is a country that has welcomed us very well. I have also been playing here for three years and it is an honor to be able to play in a country so educated and with so many principles. We have always felt at home. For me it’s a bit strange because it’s true that when I was three years old I went to Spain and I barely remember it. But everything that they have transmitted to me at home in Germany is positive.
Joselu Mato celebrates his goal against Cyprus at Nuevo Los Cármenes. / AFP7
-Let’s talk about the Euro Cup. There are colleagues of yours who claim that not being considered benefits them. Do you think the same?
-We are calm, we know the strengths we have and we are aware of our level and how far we can go. We have started very well, we just need people to get a little more hooked. But the competition is not easy at all. We have seen games like the one between France and England, where it seemed like they were going to win each game 7-0 and in the end we have seen that all the rivals are difficult. But we have an incredible squad, we are doing things very well. The training is very good, we are a family that supports each other all day and we are surrounded by the best people. And I believe that with that success is achieved.
-Rodri told me that he has noticed a very large growth in the group in the last two years. Do you agree with his partner’s judgment?
-In the end, young people are appearing who emerge very early like Lamine, Nico or Fermín. Pedri, who has had a difficult few seasons due to injuries, is recovering his level. We have veterans who are proving that they are among the best in the world… In the media, people don’t see it that way in Spain, but we have the last two MVPs of the Champions League finals, footballers who have won six Champions Leagues each… No. We will sell so much, but for me we have the best selection in the world.
-The good atmosphere that this team transmits invites us to think that those interns in Madrid and Barça are over.
-We know the purpose we have for being here and the atmosphere that Luis de la Fuente has created since he started has always been the same. Bet on unity, being a family, forgetting what has happened between clubs… We have a very healthy team, without any egos and in the end that is important on a day-to-day basis. The confrontations between Real Madrid and Barça will always exist, and they are lived with respect, but I don’t feel at all that the players are lurking about the clubs. In this selection, union is prioritized.
-You mentioned Lamine, how are you doing at 16 years old?
-Lamine is a special boy. Some of us at 16 years old were in the honor division youth team. And it is complicated because at his age he is competing at a very high level against the best players in the world, starting in a European Championship and starting for Barça. He has a lot of merit and has incredible conditions to aspire to whatever he wants to be. But you have to be careful and cautious, because he is young and has all the conditions to achieve the greatest in football. We are taking good care of him, he is a very calm boy who is on the right track and we are making a great group to support him. He is proving game after game that he is among the best in the world.
-What do you think of the campaign that is being promoted in favor of your brother-in-law Dani Carvajal’s candidacy for the Ballon d’Or?
–Dani is the best in the world in his position and if we win the European Championship I would perfectly understand that he would be a candidate for the Ballon d’Or, because he scored in the Champions League final, he scored here against Croatia and he is being unbalanced from a position in which it is much more complicated to be.
-A curiosity, before taking the field do you have any hobbies or are you looking for a tattoo?
-I try to kiss both of my children’s names before going out to the field. All my tattoos have a meaning, but I don’t have time to look at them all before playing. I have the names of the children, my wife’s face, my sister’s name, the names of ‘Carva’ (Dani Carvajal)’s children, dates that have meant a lot to me…
-You will finish the assignment in just over ten days. Can you abstract yourself from the topic of your future?
-Man, unconsciously you end up thinking about it, but I am calm and I trust that everything will turn out well.
-Did you see Espanyol’s playoff match against Oviedo?
-Yes of course. I’m watching it and seeing what happens, because it’s not the first time that the sixth makes it complicated and ends up going up.
-Thank you very much and good luck.
-Thank you.
2024-06-18 16:00:52
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