José Callejón
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

José María Callejón Bueno (; born 11 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a forward or winger. He began his career with the reserve teams of
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, but made a name for himself at Espanyol. In 2011 he returned to his previous club and, two years later, left for
Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
, where he won two
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
tournaments and the
2014 Supercoppa Italiana The 2014 Supercoppa Italiana was the 27th edition of the Supercoppa Italiana, played on 22 December 2014 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. It was held between 2013–14 Serie A champions, Juventus, and the winners of the 2013–14 ...
while appearing in 349 competitive matches (82 goals scored). An under-21 international, Callejón made his senior debut for
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in 2014.


Club career


Real Madrid

A product of
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
youth ranks, Callejón was born in Motril,
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
,
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
. He made his professional debut for the reserves in May 2007, and played five games in that season's
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
without scoring a goal. In the 2007–08 campaign, Callejón appeared in 37 matches and netted 21 times, finishing as team top scorer but in the
Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
.


Espanyol

At the end of the season, Callejón left Real Madrid (with twin brother Juanmi) and signed a four-year contract with
RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...
. He made his
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
debut on 20 September 2008, as a late substitute in a 1–1 home draw against
Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. They compete in La Liga, the top tier of the Football in Spain, Spanish football. The team has pla ...
. On 15 March 2009, as Espanyol struggled immensely in the league – eventually ranking in tenth position – Callejón scored his first goal for the
Catalans Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...
in a 3–3 home draw to
RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...
. He continued to be an undisputed starter under
Mauricio Pochettino Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero (born 2 March 1972), also known mononymously by his nickname Poch, is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the United States men's national team. Pochettin ...
the following campaigns, operating mainly as a winger. On 15 January 2011, Callejón scored twice to help to a 2–1 away defeat of
Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, that competes in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. The club was formed on 25 January ...
. He only missed one league game and netted six times for the ''Pericos'', who finished comfortably in mid-table.


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
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
5.5 million. On 16 July, he played his first match for them in a 4–1 friendly victory over the
Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
, scoring the first goal of the game in the 30th minute. 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 Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
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. Profiting from the fact that his team had already qualified from the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
as leaders, Callejón was handed a rare start by manager
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
on 22 November 2011, and responded by scoring a brace in a 6–2 home rout of
NK Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...
. He added another two in the last round, at
AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. ...
(3–0). 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, and in the tie against
SD Ponferradina Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Ponferrada, in the El Bierzo region, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 7 June 1922, it plays in Primera Federación - Group 1, holding home ma ...
for the season's
Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
he netted three of his team's seven aggregate goals, one away and two at home. On 14 January 2012, Callejón scored the winner in a 2–1 defeat of Mallorca, helping the visitors come from behind with his 84th-minute long-range strike. He added another the following matchday, closing the score in a 4–1 home victory against
Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
.


Napoli

On 9 July 2013, Italian club
SSC Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli (), commonly known as SSC Napoli or simply Napoli, is an Italian professional football club based in Naples, Campania that currently competes in the Serie A, the highest league of Italian football. Napoli are am ...
announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Callejón for €10 million. The four-year deal was confirmed two days later. Callejón scored in his
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
debut on 25 August, netting the opener in a 3–0 home win over
Bologna FC 1909 Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. The club have won seven top-flight titles, thr ...
, 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 Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
for his new team, grabbing his team's first in a 2–1 victory at
Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; , ), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional Association football, football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top f ...
in the Champions League group stage. On 3 May 2014, Callejón set up
Dries Mertens Dries "Ciro" Mertens (; born 6 May 1987) is a free agent Belgian professional Association football, footballer who last played as a Forward (association football), forward or Winger (association football), winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray ...
for the third goal in a 3–1 win against
ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...
in the final of the
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
. He scored once in the final game of the season, a 5–1 home rout of Hellas Verona FC on 18 May; his strike after five minutes was Napoli's 100th goal in all competitions that season, and his 20th overall. Callejón netted his first goal of 2014–15 on the opening day of the campaign, the opener in a 2–1 win over
Genoa CFC Genoa Cricket and Football Club () is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in Genoa, Liguria. The team competes in the Serie A, the top division of the Italian football league system. Established in 1893, Genoa is ...
. His second came on 24 September, as he scored at the stroke of half-time to put his side up 3–2 against
US Città di Palermo Palermo Football Club () is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in Palermo, Sicily, that currently plays in Serie B. It is part of the City Football Group. Founded for the first time on 1 November 1900 as Anglo Pal ...
in an eventual 3–3 home draw. On 19 October, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, with all four of the game's goals coming in the last 11 minutes. In the
Derby del Sole The Derby del Sole (or the Derby of the Sun in English), also known as Derby del Sud, is an Italian football derby between Napoli and Roma. The two clubs are considered the most popular outside of Northern Italy; Roma being from Central Italy a ...
match against
AS Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...
on 2 November 2014, Callejón hit the post and had a shot saved off the line before eventually finding the net late on in the 2–0 victory. 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. On 17 September 2015, Callejón scored twice in Napoli's first game of the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
group stage, a 5–0 home rout of
Club Brugge KV (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional Association football, football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capac ...
. For the same competition, away to
FC Midtjylland Football Club Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Superliga, which they ...
on 22 October, he volleyed a long pass from Kalidou Koulibaly to open a 4–1 victory;
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
dubbed the latter effort an "early contender for goal of the group stage". Callejón marked his 200th appearance for the ''Azzurri'' with his 57th goal on 9 April 2017, in a 3–0 league win against
SS Lazio (; ; ''Lazio Sport Club'') is an Italian professional sports club based in Rome, most known for its Football club (association football), football activity. The society, founded in 1900, plays in the Serie A and have spent most of their hist ...
. His 300th came on 28 April 2019, in the 2–0 away victory over
Frosinone Calcio Frosinone Calcio () is a professional football club based in Frosinone, Lazio, Italy. The club was founded on 5 March 1906 under the name Unione Sportiva Frusinate, but conventionally the year 1928 is indicated as the beginning of competitive a ...
. In August 2020, the 33-year-old Callejón left the
Stadio San Paolo Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, formerly known as Stadio San Paolo, is an all-seater football stadium in Naples, Italy. Completed in 1959, it is the fourth largest football stadium in Italy after Milan's San Siro, Rome's Stadio Olimpico and ...
after his contract expired.


Fiorentina

On 5 October 2020, Callejón agreed to a deal with Fiorentina. He scored twice in competitive matches during his spell, once in
the league ''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
against
UC Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the List of football club mergers, merg ...
(3–1 home win) and once in the domestic cup to help beat
Calcio Padova Calcio Padova, commonly referred to as Padova, is an Football in Italy, Italian football club based in Padua, Veneto. Founded in 1910, Padova currently play in , having last been in Serie A in 1996. The team's official colours are white and red. ...
2–1 also at home.


Granada

Callejón returned to Spain on 25 July 2022 after nine years away, signing a one-year contract with
Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...
with the option of an extension based on sporting performance. He won the second tier in his first season, appearing in all 42 games.


Later career

In July 2024, aged 37, Callejón joined
Primera Federación The Primera Federación, officially the Primera Federación Versus e-Learning for sponsorship reasons (formerly known as Primera RFEF). is the third tier of the Spanish football league system beginning with the 2021–22 season. It is administe ...
club Marbella FC. On 24 August, he scored the only goal as the hosts beat his former employers Castilla. On 19 May 2025, Callejón announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Five days later, in his last appearance, he opened an eventual 2–0 home win over Antequera CF, with his team avoiding relegation with that result.


International career

Callejón made his debut for the Spain under-21 team on 25 March 2008 against
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
in a
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2007 UEFA Europ ...
qualifier; he entered the field in the 46th minute after replacing
Bojan Krkić Bojan Krkić Pérez (; sr-Cyrl, Бојан Кркић Перез, ; born 28 August 1990), also known as simply Bojan, is a Spanish former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward ...
, and scored shortly after in a 5–0 win. On 7 November 2014, Callejón was called up to the full side for the first time, being picked by
Vicente del Bosque Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquess of Del Bosque (; born 23 December 1950) is a Spanish retired football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and is to date the only football manager to ha ...
for matches against
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. 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 Huelva ( , , ) is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the Huelva (province), province of Huelva, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. Located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits betwee ...
for the
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...
qualifying phase.


Style of play

A versatile, tenacious and hard-working right-footed player, Callejón was capable of playing anywhere along the front line, and was used as a forward or a winger on either flank, in the centre as an
attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
and as a
supporting striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...
. Although he usually occupied 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 was also capable of playing in the
centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
as a main striker, and was also occasionally deployed in deeper roles under Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid, as a
central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
or even as an attacking full-back or wing-back. A quick, mobile and creative player, with good technical ability, Callejón was 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 was also a good header of the ball, in spite of his average stature.


Personal life

Callejón's twin brother Juanmi was also a footballer, and both were Real Madrid graduates. On 6 November 2020, he tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
.


Career statistics


Club


International


Honours

Real Madrid *
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
: 2011–12 *
Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...
:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Napoli *
Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
: 2013–14, 2019–20 *
Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...
:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Granada *
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
: 2022–23 Individual *
Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
top scorer: 2007–08 *Coppa Italia top scorer: 2013–14 *
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
top assist provider: 2016–17


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Callejon, Jose 1987 births Living people People from Motril Spanish twins 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from the Province of Granada Men's association football wingers Men's association football forwards La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Primera Federación players Real Madrid C footballers Real Madrid Castilla footballers RCD Espanyol footballers Real Madrid CF players Granada CF footballers Marbella FC players Serie A players SSC Napoli players ACF Fiorentina players Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's international footballers Spanish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Italy