Former Real Madrid forward Joselu Mato is the latest to try and diagnose their issues, as Xabi Alonso searches for the magic formula. The veteran forward was part of Los Blancos’ last successful side under Carlo Ancelotti in two seasons ago.
Despite having an offer to continue at Real Madrid, and several more from other European sides, Joselu decided to cash in and move to Al-Gharafa in Qatar, admitting the offer was too good to turn down. Having played a key role in their Liga and Champions League run, he left on a high.
Speaking to Diario AS, Joselu highlighted the role that Ancelotti played in their success.
“Very important. What stood out in the dressing room was his seriousness, a commitment from the players to him. He knew we wouldn’t let him down. His experience was very important. He was very open to talking. He understood that at Real Madrid, any kind of ego isn’t more important than the entire squad together. That’s what made us champions. He was like a father to the squad, to the club, to the fans.”
What is it like to walk into a Real Madrid dressing room?
Much has been made of mystique of the Real Madrid dressing room, with Alonso at least initially struggling to mesh with some of his stars by all accounts. Joselu explained what it was like to arrive into it.
“When I first walked in it was a bit like… wow! There were Kroos, Modric, veteran players who had been at Real Madrid for 10 or 12 years, Bellingham, who had just arrived, Vini, Fede, Carvajal, Lucas, Nacho, with whom I had played before. I had two different feelings: one was, holy s***, I’m in the Real Madrid first team; and the other was, I’ve already been in this dressing room with Carva, Lucas, I’d trained with Kroos, with Modric, in the first team, I knew the kit men, the physios…”
In terms of their current issues, Joselu was initially keen to point out that the bar had been set very high.
“They miss a number nine, right? (laughs). The problem is that people are comparing years when you win titles with years when you don’t. We lost two games all year: one in La Liga and one in the Copa del Rey. We drew six more and won all the rest. That’s very difficult to repeat, no matter the team: the best Barca, the best City, the best Madrid…”
“Having a year like the one where you win titles is complicated. Their pressure is to keep winning. They’ve brought in Mbappe, the best striker in the world in terms of goals, Vinicius is a global icon, Rodrygo is getting back to his best, Bellingham, Fede… You see the names on the table and you say, it’s impossible for anyone to beat them.”
What are Real Madrid missing?
Pressed a little more, Joselu, who admitted that he continues to watch all of Real Madrid’s games, felt they perhaps lacked a little grit.
“Perhaps there’s a lack of that competitive edge, that feeling. The year we were there, about 80% of the players truly felt what it means to wear the Real Madrid shirt, and it hurt them; to this day, I don’t know if that feeling has been lost or not. When you play with the genuine feeling of being a true Real Madrid fan, you get something extra.”
“When you’re missing something, you have to have that feeling. I had it, and I saw that Nacho would kill for the club, that Carvajal would kill for the club even with half a knee injury, Lucas Vazquez the same, Fede the same, Vini gives his all and is a die-hard Real Madrid fan…”
Carvajal, now the captain, is due to return in 2026 for their first game against Real Betis. Other veteran figures such as David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger have been in and out with injury, while Valverde has struggled to assert himself as in the midfield. The two players that have stepped up most have been Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois.
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