It is only two years since Real Madrid were last in a Champions League final. Joselu was there; as a supporter, not a substitute. Then the centre-forward they faced was Sadio Mane, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or that year.
Now it will be Niclas Fullkrug , who was a second-division footballer then. A fine one, admittedly; he had helped Werder Bremen to promotion but he wasn’t even their top scorer. That mantle rested with Marvin Ducksch.
Two years on, Joselu and Fullkrug are the premier centre-forwards for the Champions League finalists. In the Spaniard’s case, and as Real Madrid start without a specialist striker, it makes him Plan B. But Fullkrug could play the full game for Borussia Dortmund .
Each was a semi-final hero: Fullkrug getting the first-leg winner against Paris Saint-Germain, Joselu the dramatic late brace against Bayern Munich . There is a very real possibility that one of the unlikely lads will decide the Champions League final. And if not, maybe Euro 2024; late bloomers have assumed a role in their countries’ plans.
In Fullkrug’s case, that is almost old news. The breakout stars of their otherwise demoralising 2022 World Cup were Jamal Musiala and Fullkrug: one a prodigy oozing class, long tipped for the top, the other an unglamorous centre-forward who had spent about half the previous decade in the 2. Bundesliga.
Joselu’s route has been more eclectic. He has played in three countries. Indeed, born in Stuttgart, he – like Fullkrug – has.
