Real Madrid announced on Monday that it had signed Espanyol and Spain forward Joselu on a season-long loan with the option to make the deal permanent.
Joselu, 33, scored 16 La Liga goals for Espanyol last season as they were relegated from Spain’s top flight, trailing just Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema.
He was a member of Spain’s UEFA Nations League final four squads, scoring the game-winning goal against Italy in their 2-1 semifinal victory after coming on as an 84th-minute substitute.
After Benzema and Mariano Diaz left last month, Madrid has been hunting for a striker, leaving Vinicius Junior and Rodrgyo as the club’s only senior forwards.
Joselu, whose full name is Jose Luis Mato Sanmartin, joined Real Madrid from Celta Vigo in 2009 and set a career-high with 26 goals for Real Madrid Castilla in 2011-12.
Before joining Hoffenheim in Germany, he had one appearance for the first team, scoring in an 8-1 win over Almeria in May 2011.
Joselu had time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover 96, Stoke City, Deportivo La Coruna, and Newcastle United before returning to goalscoring form with Alaves, where he scored 36 La Liga goals between 2019 and 2022.
After joining Espanyol in July of last year, he found his greatest form, receiving his first Spain call-up at the age of 32 in March, when he scored twice in three minutes in a 3-0 Euro 2024 qualifying triumph over Norway.
