Joselu’s stunning transformation continued as he bagged a brace against Norway on his Spain debut. Years of toil are finally paying off for the 32-year-old, who is enjoying a fine season at Espanyol.
The Spaniard is joint third in the La Liga goalscoring charts, netting 12 in 22 appearances to earn an international call-up. Joselu had rebuilt his career in Spain following an underwhelming spell in England.
Arriving at Stoke City in 2015, Joselu came with pedigree having been on the books at Real Madrid and impressing in Germany. But the 6ft 4in forward would struggle to cement a regular first-team spot and Newcastle United took a £5million punt on him two years later.
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Most of those struggles persisted at St James’ Park, with Joselu scoring seven times in 52 games across all competitions. Barely an eyebrow was raised when he left to join Alaves in 2019.
In the four years that have followed, the target man has made goalscoring his forte - earning him a long-awaited opportunity for Spain. Joselu made the dream start to international football by coming off the bench in the dying embers before bagging twice in three minutes to complete a comfortable three-goal rout.
Norway, without Erling Haaland but still fielding Arsenal talisman Martin Odegaard, were helpless as Joselu put the game to bed. The former Magpie was shell-shocked at the full-time whistle once his dream became reality.
“I still can’t believe I’ve scored twice on my debut,” Joselu said post-match. “For any player, this is just the greatest thing that can happen. It's a reward for all the daily work you put in across a career.
“Just now, when there’s euphoria, I want to thank my wife, my mum, and my kids. They’ve all put in a mighty effort to support me to be here.”
