Joselu left Real Madrid for Qatar in the summer transfer window, but retains a unique link to the Spanish giants thanks to his wife and veteran full-back Dani Carvajal
Joselu will forever be a cult hero at Real Madrid – and despite leaving them in the summer, the former Newcastle flop still has a unique connection to the club.
The journeyman striker netted 18 goals for Real last season, memorably bagging two against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, as they went on to win La Liga and Europe’s top club competition. He left for Qatari side Al-Gharafa in June with the club’s best wishes before helping Spain win Euro 2024.
Joselu may have moved out to Qatar for a payday as his career draws to a close, but he retains a close connection with Real. His Instagram post on Christmas Day showed him posing with his wife in front of a Christmas tree, as well as with Dani Carvajal and his other half.
In the caption, Joselu and his wife wrote: “Best wishes on this special night with Family”. Meanwhile, Carvajal and his partner posted: “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a fantastic evening with your family”.
The current Real right-back and former striker were hanging out together on December 25 because their wives are twin sisters. Joselu married flight attendant and model Melanie Canizares in 2016, while in 2022 Carvajal married her wedding company entrepreneur twin sister Daphne.
The love between Joselu and Carvajal is shared by the whole Real squad, with the Al-Gharafa forward invited to visit the team when they were in Qatar for the Intercontinental Cup final against Pachuca before Christmas. Photos posted by the club showed Joselu chatting with Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Junior and club president Florentino Perez at their hotel.
The connection is why Joselu penned such an emotional goodbye message when he left in June, despite having only been there for one season. “It is the best word and the most suitable to express everything I feel at this moment, in which emotion and nerves barely allow me to write,” he wrote.
“Thank you Real Madrid for everything you have made me feel throughout my life. Outside and inside. Inside and outside. Thank you for what you taught me as a kid; thank you for giving me so many examples of greatness and humility at the same time. Thank you for keeping my dream alive and for making it come true.”
While Joselu has moved on from Real, Carvajal remains with the club, but is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury. The veteran full-back was forced to undergo surgery in October to repair a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to be out for the rest of the 2024/25 season.
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