Real Madrid News
Real Madrid new signing full of praise for Ancelotti: “One of the best in the world”
Speaking on his first official interview with Real Madrid TV, new signing Joselu hailed manager Carlo Ancelotti, calling him ‘one of the best in the world’.
Joselu returned to Real Madrid a little over a decade after he left the club, arriving on a season-long loan deal from RCD Espanyol.
Los Blancos paid a loan fee of €500,000 for the 33-year-old striker while they also have an option to make the transfer permanent for €1.5 million.
Joselu enjoyed a spectacular 2022/23 season on a personal level, as he scored 16 goals in La Liga with only Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema outscoring him. However, he could not save Espanyol from relegation.
Having now returned to his boyhood club, Joselu opened up on the prospect of playing under an elite manager like Ancelotti, saying:
“He is one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best. I’ve had many coaches in my career, but I think he can give me a lot of things on a tactical level and above all on a game level because, offensively, I’m a different player to the ones they have in the squad.
“Everything he can teach me and I can learn in the first few months of pre-season will be beneficial.”
Talking about his eye for a goal, Joselu added: “It’s something you are born with. It’s a gift that every footballer has and thank God in my last few seasons I’ve scored quite a few goals and I’m very happy about that and for the Zarra Award because it’s difficult to score goals in the First Division.”
Joselu then spoke about what winning the Champions League/European Cup means for a player and how playing for Real Madrid gives him a chance to do it.
“It’s the biggest thing in football at club level and Madrid is defined by being the best in the world. The best players in history have played here and you always dream of being able to lift a cup like that. If it’s already exciting from the outside, I don’t even want to imagine what it feels like when you win it from the inside,” he said.
Joselu was present in Paris for Real Madrid’s UCL final against Liverpool during the 2022/23 campaign and explained his delight at watching his beloved club lift the trophy.
“In my career, I’ve never hidden the fact that I’ve always been a Madrid fan, I’ve always followed, supported, and loved the club because it’s the club of my childhood. In recent years Carvajal has been part of my family and he gave me the chance to go and enjoy a final.
“I went to support him like everyone else and as a fan it was incredible. It gave me goosebumps, especially when Vini Jr. scored the goal. It’s a lot of emotions and it brings back a lot of memories of your last time here.”
Before leaving Real Madrid in 2012, Joselu made two senior appearances for the club in which he netted two goals. Reminiscing his debut for the Merengues’ first team, he said:
“I made my debut in the first division with the team of my life and it’s a dream. On top of that, I scored a goal.
“I’m always asked who gave me the pass and of course, I have to say that Cristiano Ronaldo gave it to me, one of the best players in the history of Real Madrid and the world. They are moments that are impossible to erase from my memory.”
Signing off with a message for the Real Madrid supporters, Joselu stated: “Thank you very much, fans. The messages of support have been incredible from the moment it was announced that I was going to play for Real Madrid. You are the best fans in the world and Hala Madrid!”
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
