You’ve never heard of Jose Luis Mato Sanmartin, for sure.But his nickname Joselu, on the other hand, probably rings a bell. The former Real Madrid striker – who was recently sold to Qatar Stars League club Al Gharafa – is quite a journeyman. During his long and maybe not such a prolific career, the 34-year-old has played for various clubs across the globe. La Liga, English Premier League, Bundesliga… you name it, he was there. Moreover, he was born in Stuttgart, Germany – the very same city that will host the spectacular Friday night game between Die Mannschaft and Spain in the EURO 2024 quarter-finals.The final eight: two classics, two favourites, and two possible giant-killersIn that same Stuttgart Joselu will meet his former Los Blancos teammate, Toni Kroos. The possibility that Kroos’s last match of his career could be against him doesn’t bother Joselu at all. On the contrary, he made it clear that their aim is to ‘retire’ the legendary midfielder.”Germany is a very strong team, also a top contender for the title. We hope to retire Toni on Friday. It’s been a pleasure to play with him. He embodies everything that Real Madrid stands for, all the club’s values,” the Spanish forward acknowledged in a press conference.”He’s been a teammate, a friend in the dressing room. I’ve received a lot of advice from him, had many conversations with him, and it’s been a pleasure for me. He’s a crucial player for the German national team and has been for Real Madrid. We need to watch him closely. I love him, I will always believe in him, but I think Friday could be his last game. It’s a shame that we have to say goodbye to Toni like this, but hopefully, we’ll win on Friday and it’ll be his last game, for our sake,” he added.##NAJAVA_MECA_8191715##Joselu didn’t have to wait too long for Kroos’ response…”I haven’t brought any cake for you. I don’t think it’s my last game, and we’ll see each other again,” Kross said. “It’s normal for him to say that (Joselu). They want to win the tournament. But I will do everything to prevent that. They didn’t want to retire me at Madrid because they are my friends,” he added.”It’s in my mind, but it’s motivation. In the Round of 16, it could have been the last one, and it didn’t bother me. It’s a big motivation for me to extend it as long as possible, hopefully until the end. It was my decision, and I can live very well with it. I’ll try to stay here until the end, and if not, I’ll be happy without football afterwards. But hopefully, it lasts a bit longer,” concluded Kroos.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/4 FINALSFriday19:00: (2.75) Spain (3.20) Germany (2.90)22:00: (3.45) Portugal (3.10) France (2.45)Saturday19:00: (2.35) England (3.20) Switzerland (3.55)22:00: (1.65) Netherlands (4.10) Turkey (5.80)***odds are subject to change***
