The Real Madrid forward was born in Stuttgart where Spain will play the Euro 2024 hosts for a semi-final place
t has been a long time, so long it doesn’t have the same name any more, but on Friday Elvira Mato returns to the Neckarstadion. In those days, a resident at No 57 Friedhofstrasse, in the city that was her home for 22 years, she would go to watch her local team, VfB Stuttgart. For a while, they had a young, emerging forward called Jürgen Klinsmann; now she is here to watch an older striker as Germany face Spain in thequarter-final.
“I wasn’t even three when we went back to Spain but they told me about the respect there is in this country, the order. And that’s how my mum and sister brought me up. Then I experienced that for myself when I played here three years. I’m very grateful because they treated me very well. But I represent Spain and we want to win; it’s not just special because I have been here but because it’s a quarter-final. We’ve got Germany and Stuttgart.
Another teammate faces him. While Joselu has just announced his signing for the Qatari side Al Gharafa – an 11th club in a fourth country – Toni Kroos has decided to retire at the top. If not, Joselu hopes, the very, very top. “I love Toni, care about him, but I think that Friday is Toni’s last game,” Joselu says. “Germany are big favourites to win this competition but we hope to retire Toni. We know the qualities he has. He is fundamental.
“It’s a pleasure for me to have played with him. He’s been a teammate, a friend, he has given me advice, we’ve spoken a lot. It’s a pity we have to bid farewell to Toni like this but hopefully we win and it’s his last game – for our own good.” Win and Joselu would be two games away from being a European champion with club and country. When it is put to him that all this this must have seemed impossible when he was a sub at a Stoke team near the bottom of the Premier League, he shoots back, grinning: “Hey, we were ninth that year! You need to be better informed.”He adds: “Football is so lovely because of those things, because you never know what might happen. Work, sacrifice, being a good person can bring you to live moments like this.
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