BACK in my Newcastle days, if you asked me to predict which of my team-mates would play in a Champions League final, Joselu would not have been top of the list. In fact, it’s fair to say he’d have been nowhere near! But I will be thrilled to bits to see Jos lining up for Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund in the biggest club game of them all. As will everyone else who shared a dressing room with him a few years ago.
I was really buzzing for him when he came off the bench and scored those two goals in the semi-final against Bayern Munich . He is one of the good guys, always smiling even when things aren’t going particularly well. And let’s be honest, it wasn’t plain sailing for Jos when he was at Newcastle , after joining from Stoke.
He struggled for goals and was in and out of the side. But he never let his head go down and remained a popular figure in the squad. He worked incredibly hard in training and, on the pitch, he was one of those forwards who never hid, did the dirty work and ran all day.
Back then, Newcastle didn’t create the amount of chances they have in the last two seasons. BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER S After promotion under Rafa Benitez, it was a case of keeping it tight and ensuring we weren’t in the relegation zone. Am I surprised Joselu has done so well since leaving Newcastle and heading back home for Spain? Well, yes and no.
He wasn’t a bad finisher at all in training. And on matchdays, his hold-up play, work-rate, foot.