Jose Callejon: "Messi insulted Karanka"

Jose Callejon met the media in the press room at Real Madrid Sports City. The Real Madrid Academy player analyzed the match against Granada, his home town’s team: “It will be a very difficult match. They’ve made some great signings and like any team that plays against Real Madrid they will give 200 % to come away with a win. They really need the points, but are confident and we want the points to catch up with the leaders in the League. In the last few matches we have seen quite an improvement and we will try to keep it up”.

Jose Callejon at press conference

Real Madrid reserve player commented on the Mourinho’s gesture at the end of the latest clasico of applauding all of the players as they headed for the dressing rooms: “It was significant because it was a very good game and we saw a lot of football. The world’s press agreed that it was a superb game between two great teams. We made a great effort because they went ahead first. The semi-final is still wide open and we did our level best to make sure that it would be”. On the subject of relations between the team and the manager, he was very frank: “There will always be controversies; there are those who will try to destabilize the team and say that we are not committed to him. I believe he is the best manager for this club and we have always demonstrated that we are behind him one hundred per cent”.

He had this to say about the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona: “We have seen an improvement compared to previous matches. It isn’t easy to play against Barcelona, but we will give it our best shot in the return leg. 1-1 is a good result, from our point of view. The semi-final is still wide open and we are confident going into the game at the Camp Nou”.

Pre-season summary: Real Madrid remains the same

Real Madrid closed the U.S. tour confirming that maintains its weapons led the team to win a historic League. His punching power is unquestionable: white team has score 14 goals in four macthes and in two of them scored 5; against Los Angeles Galaxy and, most surprisingly, against Milan. On the defensive, there has been some sloppiness, but has conceded just three goals, one against the Galaxy, another against Santos Laguna and one against Milan. Against Celtic managed to get a clean net, without giving chances.

Real Madrid (Pre-season 2012-2013)

Mourinho has a fully engaged team, which is well known and it plays almost by heart. This allows them to solve some of the matches at half throttle. The ball starts to run the more than the player and Mourinho knows it is better. When analyzing the response of the players, there are some obvious facts. The first, Coentrao will be another year one of the trusted men of Mourinho. He already said in the preseason, but has shown with facts. It is the player that has played more minutes on the tour, although it should be noted that there was not a natural replacement for him because Marcelo was in the Olympics with Brazil.

The other conclusion is that Cristiano Ronaldo remains committed to play until the last minute of a friendly match. It is the second player with more minutes, ahead of Casillas. Another point to consider is the duel Higuain-Benzema. Each one has scored a goal and the coach keeps the doubt: although the most influential match, against Milan, was played by the French, on the other hand was the Argentine who has played more minutes: 26 minutes longer than Karim.

The tour has also confirmed Nacho as the revelation of youth squad players. Without a substitute for Arbeloa on the right side, the defensive player has finished playing in every game and has added 162 minutes. In the duel Varane-Albiol, no doubts. Mourinho insisted for a time to let Albiol aside, but the tour has shown that between the Spanish and the French, who has just been called by his national team, the Spanish has advantage. Albiol is the fifth player who has played more minutes.

Ramos, Alonso and Arbeloa played a very similar range of minutes, like Khedira and Özil. Mourinho has dosed the efforts given that they leave this week to play with their national teams. About Kaka, the coach has demonstrated he is not going to separate the Brazilian player from the team. He has played some minutes but moves into the group of players who will have less chances as Nacho, Granero, Sahin, Morata or Jesse. The others have played more than him. Special mention is the latter, Jesse. The jewel in the youth teams, who scored in his first game, playing only 37 minutes.

However, the man of the tour is Callejon. He has played every game and always at good level. It is without doubt the greatest asset of the Portuguese coach from the bench. Callejon finished as top scorer of the tour with three goals. Again, asks for a place in the starting lineup, but the problem is always the same: who is going to leave the place at the starting team?

Liga 2011-2012: A championship without signings

Real Madrid recovered the throne league with little input from the five new faces who came to the team 10 months ago. Coentrao, Callejon,Varane, let alone Sahin and Altintop, have not had a main role in the winning of the Spanish league. In fact, them have just played 16% of the minutes in the regular tournament.

Coentrao, Callejon, Sahin, Altintop and Varane

Who has played most, of the signings, has been Fabio Coentrao. The Portuguese has even been a starter in key games of the season; San Mames, Vicente Calderon and Camp Nou. Three important wins for the championship. However, Marcelo has been above him all season, although Mourinho has chosen his compatriot in difficult games at home by offering more reliable defense.

Callejon never won a place at the starting lineup, although he worked and deserved it for moments scoring goals in all competitions. However, at key moments, rarely was chosen for playing with the starters, except in the Sanchez Pizjuan (against Sevilla), where he also scored, and San Mames.

Varane, such as signing for the future, has appeared in placid afternoons to gain experience. Is expected to continue growing. In the last positions of minutes and prominence are the two Turkish, Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop. Both got injured and never won the confidence of the Real Madrid manager. In short, the team earned the league without signings.

Fabio COENTRAO. Coentrao has played almost half of the League. Discussed by the fans and protected by Mourinho until the episode of cigarette, the Portuguese always lived with the slab of the 30 million euro of his transfer.

Jose CALLEJON. 'Mourinho Man' came demanded by the coach, the former youth squad player has been the first among the substitutes. His goal in Mallorca won three key points, but has started only four games.

Nuri SAHIN. 90 minutes are an utopia for Sahin. Nuri's performance was inversely proportional to the expectations that were placed in the left-handed midfielder. He injured in summer in his left knee and had no continuity and rhythm when played. Disappointing.

Hamit ALTINTOP. He has a lot to change so that its history in Real Madrid is not as absent as usual. The Turkish came injured on the back, just after a surgery. When he wanted to join the group dynamics, Mourinho did not see the adequate level to displace any of the starters. He only played as a starter in a game at the Bernabeu against Zaragoza. He scored a goal in the 2-6 of the Sanchez Pizjuan.

Raphael VARANE. He came recommended by Zidane and has completed his adaptation. He is only 19 years old and looks like a great footballer. Composure, character, personality, passing game, good ball game. However, he has not enjoyed many minutes. He played six games home and scored a goal against Rayo.

Squad: Jose Callejon (21)

Jose Callejon

Jose Maria was born in Motril (Granada) on 11 February 1987. He joined Real Madrid's academy in September 2002 following a stint at Agrupacion Deportiva de Futbol Costa Tropical. His brother Juan Miguel, who currently plays for Cordoba, also joined the club.

Callejon started out on the Under-16 side, climbing up the ladder until he became a Real Madrid C player at the start of the 2006/07 campaign - he played some games with the third team during the previous year. He was promoted to Castilla in the 2007/08 season and made his international debut with Spain's Under-21 side on 25 March 2008 against Kazakhstan, scoring one goal.

Real Madrid transferred Callejon to Espanyol in the summer of that year. He made his Firtst Division debut with the Barcelona team against Getafe on 3 September. He arrived as a striker, but adapted to the winger position down either side thanks to his versatility, speed and dribbling skills.

Data

• Place of Birth: Motril (Spain)
• Date of Birth: 02/11/1987
• Position: Midfielder
• Weight: 73 kg
• Height: 179 cm
• Nationality: Spanish

Honours

• La Liga (Spanish League): 2011/12
• Spanish Super Cup: 2012

Jose Callejon: New Real Madrid player

Real Madrid and RCD Espanyol have confirmed that they had reached an agreement for five million euros, for the transfer of Jose Maria Callejon to the white club, with which he will be bound over the next five seasons. Espanyol signed him three seasons ago for 1.2 million from Real Madrid Castilla. The purchase of the player is the third signing of Real Madrid for the next season, after theTurkish Nuri Sahin, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund, and Hamit Altintop of Bayern Munich.

Jose Callejon: New Real Madrid player

The striker, 24 years old, reached the ranks of Real Madrid in September 2002 from the Association Soccer Sports "Costa Tropical", from Motril (Andalusia), together with his twin brother Juan Miguel, who now plays in Cordoba. On his arrival, he joined the Cadet category and was up to reach Real Madrid "C" in the 2006-07 season, where had already played some games last season, and in 2007-08 made ​​the leap to Real Madrid Castilla.

His good performance with the Real Madrid young teams led (March 25, 2008) his debut, with a goal included, in the U-21 Spanish national team (match against Kazakhstan) and a few months later his move to RCD Espanyol, where debuted in the League on September, 2008 against Getafe (1-1). In his first season with the blue and white team, the versatile player played 24 league games and scored 2 goals, while in the next reached 36 games played with the same goals. His best season was the latter, in which has participated in 37 league matches and scored 6 goals, playing two matches of the "Copa del Rey".

The player's contract ended in 2012. Callejon is another player who returns to Real Madrid after being trained in the young teams and after an experience of over a hundred games played in the top category, although he will have serious competition for a place on the Mourinho's team.

Jose Callejon: Signed by five million euros

Jose Callejón, whose signing will be confirmed by the two clubs at the end of the season, has been a choice of Mourinho, who liked his attitude and actions in the two matches against Espanyol. The striker has "exploded" playing in the sides, a false position from where sometimes he becomes second forward or plays between the enemy lines. His speed and defensive sacrifice are his best weapons. The negotiation was swift: they came warned by a statement of Florentino Pérez in February when he announced the return of a former youth squad. Everything indicated that the "return" would be Dani Parejo, to fill the creative midfield position, but the possible incorporation of Nuri Sahin seems to close the doors to Getafe player.

Callejón, who started 33 times with six goals and ten assists, was signed by Paco Herrera for a million euros from the Castilla and will return to the white club, which had no preferential option, for five million. He will sign for four years and will earn two million per year. The player could have already passed medical checks in the capital of Spain.

The Espanyol player, whose buyout clause is eight million, ends his contract next season and negotiations for renewal were stranded. Real Madrid wants more Spanish players in the staff and although it is rumored that the player could be part of an operation during the summer, Mourinho wants that the player will improve the competitiveness of a young squad with great future.

Jose Callejón