José Callejón

José Callejón
Callejón playing for Spain in 2017
Personal information
Full name José María Callejón Bueno
Date of birth (1987-02-11) 11 February 1987
Place of birth Motril, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Forward / Winger
Club information
Current team
 Napoli
Number 7
Youth career
Costa Tropical
2002–2006 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 Real Madrid C 4 (0)
2007–2008 Real Madrid B 41 (21)
2008–2011 Espanyol 97 (10)
2011–2013 Real Madrid 55 (8)
2013– Napoli 189 (57)
National team‡
2008–2009 Spain U21 4 (1)
2014– Spain 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 August 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2017

José María Callejón Bueno (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse kaʎeˈxon]; born 11 February 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Italian club S.S.C. Napoli as a forward or winger.

His twin brother Juanmi was also a footballer, and both were Real Madrid graduates.[1] He began his career with its reserve clubs, but made a name for himself at Espanyol. In 2011 he returned to his previous team and, two years later, left for Napoli.

A former under-21 international, Callejón made his senior debut for Spain in 2014.

Club career

Real Madrid

A product of Real Madrid youth ranks, Callejón was born in Motril, Granada, Andalusia. He made his professional debut for the reserves in May 2007,[2] and played four games in that season's Segunda División without scoring a goal.[3]

In the 2007–08 campaign, Callejón appeared in 37 matches and netted 21 times, finishing as team top scorer but in Segunda División B.[4][5]

Espanyol

Callejón taking a corner for Espanyol in 2009

At the end of the season, Callejón left Real Madrid (with twin brother Juanmi) and signed a four-year contract with RCD Espanyol.[6][7] He made his La Liga debut on 20 September 2008, as a late substitute in a 1–1 home draw against Getafe CF.[8]

On 15 March 2009, as Espanyol struggled immensely in the league – eventually ranking in tenth position – Callejón scored his first goal for the Catalans in a 3–3 home draw against RCD Mallorca.[9] He continued to be an undisputed starter under Mauricio Pochettino in the following campaigns, operating mainly as a winger.[10]

On 15 January 2011, Callejón scored twice to help to a 2–1 away defeat of Sevilla FC.[11] He only missed one league game and netted six times for the Pericos, who finished comfortably in mid-table.[12]

Return to Real Madrid

On 23 May 2011, Callejón re-joined Real Madrid on a five-year deal effective as of 1 July, for a reported fee of €5.5 million.[13] On 16 July, he played his first match for them in a 4–1 friendly win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, scoring the first goal of the game in the 30th minute.[14]

On 2 October 2011, Callejón netted his first official goal for Real Madrid after coming on midway through the second half of an away fixture against former club Espanyol; he scored from a Cristiano Ronaldo assist in an eventual 4–0 win but did not celebrate the goal, instead raising his arms in the air in a mark of respect for his former employer.[15]

Profiting from the fact that his team had already qualified from the UEFA Champions League group stage as leaders, Callejón was handed a rare start by manager José Mourinho on 22 November 2011, and responded by scoring a brace in a 6–2 home triumph against NK Dinamo Zagreb.[16] He added another two in the last round, at AFC Ajax (3–0).[17]

As a starter, Callejón continued with his impressive scoring form: he scored once in a 6–2 away win over Sevilla on 17 December 2011,[18] and in the tie against SD Ponferradina for the season's Copa del Rey he netted three of his team's seven aggregate goals, scoring one away and two at home.[19][20]

On 14 January 2012, Callejón scored the winner in a 2–1 success at Mallorca, helping the visitors come from behind with his 84th-minute long-range strike.[21] In the following matchday he added another, closing the score in a 4–1 home win over Athletic Bilbao.[22]

Napoli

Callejón (wearing No.7) playing for Napoli against Barcelona, 2014

On 9 July 2013, Italian club S.S.C. Napoli announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Callejón for €10 million.[23][24] The four-year deal was confirmed two days later.[25]

Callejón scored in his Serie A debut on 25 August, netting the opener in a 3–0 home win over Bologna F.C. 1909,[26] and went on to find the net a further seven times in his first 20 official appearances. On 22 October, he scored his first goal in Europe for his new team, grabbing his team's first in a 2–1 triumph at Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League group stage.[27]

On 3 May 2014, Callejón set up Dries Mertens for the third goal in a 3–1 success over ACF Fiorentina in the final of the campaign's Coppa Italia.[28] He scored once in the final game of the season, a 5–1 home win against Hellas Verona F.C. on 18 May; his strike after five minutes was Napoli's 100th goal in all competitions that season, and his 20th overall.[29]

Callejón netted his first goal of 2014–15 on the opening day of the Serie A campaign, the opener in a 2–1 win over Genoa CFC.[30] His second came on 24 September, as he scored at the stroke of half-time to put Napoli up 3–2 against U.S. Città di Palermo in an eventual 3–3 home draw.[31] On 19 October, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at Internazionale, with all four of the game's goals coming in the match's last 11 minutes.[32]

In the Derby del Sole match against A.S. Roma on 2 November, Callejón hit the post and had a shot saved off the line before eventually finding the net late on in Napoli's 2–0 victory.[33] The strike took his league goal tally to eight on the season, two more than his closest competitors, and he was included in the Serie A Team of the Week lineup.[34]

On 17 September 2015, Callejón scored twice in Napoli's first game of the UEFA Europa League group stage, a 5–0 home routing of Club Brugge KV.[35] For the same competition, away to FC Midtjylland on 22 October, he volleyed a long pass from Kalidou Koulibaly to open a 4–1 victory; UEFA dubbed the latter effort an "early contender for goal of the group stage".[36]

On 9 April 2017, Callejón marked his 200th appearance for the Azzurri with his 57th goal, in a 3–0 league win over S.S. Lazio.[37]

International career

Callejón made his debut for the Spanish under-21 team on 25 March 2008 against Kazakhstan in a 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier; he entered the field in the 46th minute after replacing Bojan Krkić, and scored shortly after in a 5–0 win.[38]

On 7 November 2014, Callejón was called up to the full side for the first time, being picked by Vicente del Bosque for matches against Belarus and Germany.[39] He made his debut on the 15th against the former, coming on for Santi Cazorla in the 69th minute of the 3–0 triumph in Huelva for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying phase.[40]

Style of play

A versatile, tenacious and hard-working right-footed player, Callejón is capable of playing anywhere along the front line, and has been used as a forward, as a winger on either flank, in the centre as an attacking midfielder and as a supporting striker. Although he usually occupies a position in or behind the main attacking line, due to his personality and ability to provide balance to his teams by linking-up play between the forwards and midfielders, he is also capable of playing in the centre as a main striker, and was also occasionally deployed in deeper roles under Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid, as a central midfielder or even as an attacking full-back or wingback.

A quick, mobile and creative player, with good technical ability, Callejón is capable of both creating and scoring goals, due to his powerful shot and excellent offensive movement off the ball, as demonstrated by his ability to lose his markers by make attacking runs in behind the defensive line and into the area from deeper or wider areas. He is also a good header of the ball, in spite of his average stature.[41][42][43][44][45][46]

Career statistics

Club

Callejón in action for Napoli in 2014
As of 23 August 2018[47][48]
Club Season League Cup1 Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Real Madrid B 2006–07 40——40
2007–08 3721——3721
Total 4121——4121
Espanyol 2008–09 24262—304
2009–10 36210—372
2010–11 37620—396
Total 971092—10612
Real Madrid 2011–12 25563553613
2012–13 3037242417
Total 558135977720
Napoli 2013–14 3715531025220
2014–15 3811501615912
2015–16 38721754713
2016–17 371442814917
2017–18 38 10 2 0 10 2 50 12
2018–19 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 18957186511125874
Career totals 3829640136018482127
1Includes domestic cups and other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España and the Supercoppa Italiana.

International

As of 14 November 2017[49]
TeamYearAppsGoals
Spain
201420
201500
201610
201720
Total50

Honours

Club

Callejón (right) on the ball in the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana
Real Madrid[47]
Napoli[47]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Los gemelos Callejón, hermanos pero rivales en el terreno de juego" [Callejón twins, brothers but rivals on the pitch] (in Spanish). Join Futbol. 22 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Castilla 2–1 Málaga" (in Spanish). Real Madrid C.F. 5 May 2007. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  3. ↑ "Player file: Callejón" (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  4. ↑ Fidel Ramírez (28 April 2008). "El 'pichichi', José Callejón, rescató un punto en el descuento para el filial" ['Pichichi', José Callejón, rescued one point in injury time for the reserves]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Stats: José María Callejón Bueno" (in Spanish). Real Madrid C.F. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  6. ↑ "Real Madrid and Espanyol reach an agreement for the transfer of Castilla's José Callejón". Real Madrid C.F. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  7. ↑ "Espanyol sign Real Madrid B striker Callejón". Reuters. 18 June 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  8. ↑ "El Espanyol reacciona a tiempo para guardar el liderato" [Espanyol react on time to retain first place]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). 20 September 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "3–3. El Espanyol más épico de la temporada se queda sin premio ante el Mallorca" [3–3. Most epic Espanyol of season do not have prize against Mallorca]. Público (in Spanish). 15 March 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Callejón: "El gol me deja más tranquilo"" [Callejón: "Goal makes me more at ease"]. Sport (in Spanish). 15 February 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "Callejon nets brace". ESPN Soccernet. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "El Espanyol cambia dinero por goles" [Espanyol trade money for goals]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 4 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Jose Callejon to play for Real Madrid". Real Madrid C.F. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  14. ↑ "LA Galaxy 1–4 Real Madrid". Major League Soccer. 16 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "Higuain gives Mourinho plenty to ponder". ESPN Soccernet. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  16. ↑ "Perfect Madrid put six past Dinamo". UEFA. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Ajax shattered as Madrid complete perfect set". UEFA. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "Real rout Sevilla". ESPN Soccernet. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  19. ↑ "Un chupito revitalizante" [Invigorating shot]. Marca (in Spanish). 13 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "El Madrid ficha hacia octavos" [Madrid sign last-16]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  21. ↑ "Real survive scare to go clear". ESPN Soccernet. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  22. ↑ "Real Madrid spot on". ESPN Soccernet. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  23. ↑ "Real Madrid attacker Callejon set to join Napoli". Goal. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  24. ↑ "Callejon è a Napoli" [Callejon is in Naples] (in Italian). S.S.C Napoli. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Napoli snap up Callejon". Goal. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  26. ↑ "Napoli-Bologna 3–0: apre Callejon, poi la doppietta di super Hamsik" [Napoli-Bologna 3–0: Callejon starts it, then double by super Hamsik]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 25 August 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Napoli make their mark in Marseille". UEFA. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Coppa Italia final: Rafael Benitez's Napoli beat Fiorentina 3–1". BBC Sport. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "Five-star finish for Napoli". Sky Sports. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  30. ↑ "Genoa 1–2 Napoli". ESPN FC. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  31. ↑ "Napoli 3–3 Palermo". ESPN FC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  32. ↑ "Hernanes header helps Inter Milan to a 2–2 draw with Napoli". ESPN FC. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  33. ↑ "Gonzalo Higuaín keeps rolling for Napoli in 'match of fear' against Roma". The Guardian. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  34. ↑ "Serie A 2014–15: Team Of The Week – Round 10". Forza Italian Football. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  35. ↑ "Sparkly Napoli flatten Club Brugge". UEFA. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  36. ↑ "Sparkling Napoli finishes flatten Midtjylland". UEFA. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  37. ↑ Campanale, Susan (10 April 2017). "Serie A Week 31: Did You Know?". Football Italia. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  38. ↑ "Spain 5–0 Kazakhstan". UEFA. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on 20 May 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  39. ↑ "Official: 23-man squad for the matches against Belarus and Germany". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  40. ↑ Hunter, Graham (15 November 2014). "Much-changed Spain dominate Belarus". UEFA. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  41. ↑ Pasquale Salvione (1 July 2013). "Napoli, ecco Callejon: il pupillo di Mourinho" [Napoli, this is Callejón: Mourinho's pupil]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  42. ↑ Giovanni Battista Terenziani (14 October 2013). "Iturbe, Callejon, Gervinho: le tre migliori sorprese della Serie A" [Iturbe, Callejón, Gervinho: the three best surprises in Serie A] (in Italian). Calcio Mercato. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  43. ↑ Roberto Pinna (27 November 2015). "Napoli, lo strano caso Callejon: per Sarri indispensabile, inutile al fantacalcio" [Napoli, the curious case of Callejon: indispensable for Sarri, useless in fantasy football]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  44. ↑ Alessandro Bocci (1 January 2017). "Da Candreva a Mertens fino a Ljajic Così gli esterni spostano gli equilibri" [From Candreva to Mertens all the way to Ljajic This is how wingers turn the tide]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  45. ↑ "Three key Partenopei men to watch out for". Juventus F.C. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  46. ↑ "Callejon: 'I'll play centre-forward'". Football Italia. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  47. 1 2 3 "José Callejón". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  48. ↑ José Callejón at ESPN FC
  49. ↑ "José Callejón". European Football. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  50. ↑ Roberto Di Maggio; Davide Rota (4 June 2015). "Italy – Coppa Italia Top Scorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  51. ↑ "Statistics". ESPN FC. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
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