Official: Real Madrid confirm veteran forward’s departure

Real Madrid have officially announced that veteran striker Joselu has completed his transfer to Qatari club Al Gharafa.

“Real Madrid CF, after making effective its option to acquire the rights of the player Joselu Mato against RCD Espanyol, has reached an agreement with Al-Gharafa SC for the transfer of our player,” the statement from the club read.

Joselu, who spent two years at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2012, returned to the club last year, arriving on a loan deal from RCD Espanyol with a buy option.

The 34-year-old enjoyed a fine season even though he was not a regular starter, finishing with 18 goals in all competitions – with the highlighting being his match-winning brace against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Real Madrid intended to keep Joselu at the club for at least one more season, but the striker opted to move on due to increased competition for places in the side.

As such, Los Blancos activated the €1.5 million buy option to sign the Spaniard permanently from Espanyol on Thursday before facilitating his departure to Al Gharafa today, reportedly for the same fee.

“Real Madrid would like to thank Joselu for his professionalism and his Madridism, and would like to express its affection for him and his family, wishing them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives,” the club statement concluded.