.jpg) Callejón withSpain in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José María Callejón Bueno[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-02-11)11 February 1987 (age 38)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Motril, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward,winger | ||
| 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) |
| 2013–2020 | Napoli | 255 | (64) |
| 2020–2022 | Fiorentina | 50 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Granada | 67 | (4) |
| 2024–2025 | Marbella | 38 | (11) |
| Total | 607 | (119) | |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Spain U21 | 4 | (1) |
| 2014–2017 | Spain | 5 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José María Callejón Bueno (Spanish pronunciation:[xoˈsekaʎeˈxon]; born 11 February 1987) is a Spanish former professionalfootballer who played as aforward orwinger.
He began his career with the reserve teams ofReal Madrid, but made a name for himself atEspanyol. In 2011 he returned to his previous club and, two years later, left forNapoli, where he won twoCoppa Italia tournaments and the2014 Supercoppa Italiana while appearing in 349 competitive matches (82 goals scored).
Anunder-21 international, Callejón made his senior debut forSpain in 2014.
A product ofReal Madrid youth ranks, Callejón was born inMotril,Granada,Andalusia. He made his professional debut forthe reserves in May 2007,[3] and played five games inthat season'sSegunda División without scoring a goal.[4][5]
In the2007–08 campaign, Callejón appeared in 37 matches and netted 21 times, finishing as team top scorer but in theSegunda División B.[6][7]
At the end of the season, Callejón left Real Madrid (with twin brotherJuanmi) and signed a four-year contract withRCD Espanyol.[8][9] He made hisLa Liga debut on 20 September 2008, as a latesubstitute in a 1–1 home draw againstGetafe CF.[10]
On 15 March 2009, as Espanyol struggled immensely in the league – eventuallyranking in tenth position – Callejón scored his first goal for theCatalans in a 3–3 home draw toRCD Mallorca.[11] He continued to be an undisputed starter underMauricio Pochettino the following campaigns, operating mainly as awinger.[12]
On 15 January 2011, Callejón scored twice to help to a 2–1 away defeat ofSevilla FC.[13] He only missed one league game and netted six times for thePericos, whofinished comfortably in mid-table.[14]
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.[15] On 16 July, he played his first match for them in a 4–1friendly victory over theLos Angeles Galaxy, scoring the first goal of the game in the 30th minute.[16]
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 aCristiano Ronaldoassist 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.[17]
Profiting from the fact that his team had already qualified from theUEFA Champions Leaguegroup stage as leaders, Callejón was handed a rare start by managerJosé Mourinho on 22 November 2011, and responded by scoring a brace in a 6–2 home rout ofNK Dinamo Zagreb.[18] He added another two in the last round, atAFC Ajax (3–0).[19]
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,[20] and in the tie againstSD Ponferradina forthe season'sCopa del Rey he netted three of his team's seven aggregate goals, one away and two at home.[21][22]
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.[23] He added another the following matchday, closing the score in a 4–1 home victory againstAthletic Bilbao.[24]
On 9 July 2013, Italian clubSSC Napoli announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Callejón for €10 million.[25][26] The four-year deal was confirmed two days later.[27]
Callejón scored in hisSerie A debut on 25 August, netting the opener in a 3–0 home win overBologna FC 1909,[28] 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 inEurope for his new team, grabbing his team's first in a 2–1 victory atOlympique de Marseille in theChampions League group stage.[29]
On 3 May 2014, Callejón set upDries Mertens for the third goal in a 3–1 win againstACF Fiorentina inthe final of theCoppa Italia.[30] He scored once in the final game ofthe season, a 5–1 home rout ofHellas Verona FC on 18 May; his strike after five minutes was Napoli's 100th goal in all competitions that season, and his 20th overall.[31]
Callejón netted his first goal of2014–15 on the opening day ofthe campaign, the opener in a 2–1 win overGenoa CFC.[32] His second came on 24 September, as he scored at the stroke of half-time to put his side up 3–2 againstUS Città di Palermo in an eventual 3–3 home draw.[33] On 19 October, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw atInter Milan, with all four of the game's goals coming in the last 11 minutes.[34]
In theDerby del Sole match againstAS Roma 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.[35] 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.[36]
On 17 September 2015, Callejón scored twice in Napoli's first game of theUEFA Europa League group stage, a5–0 home rout ofClub Brugge KV.[37] For the same competition, away toFC Midtjylland on 22 October, he volleyed a long pass fromKalidou Koulibaly to open a 4–1 victory;UEFA dubbed the latter effort an "early contender for goal of the group stage".[38]
Callejón marked his 200th appearance for theAzzurri with his 57th goal on 9 April 2017, in a 3–0 league win againstSS Lazio.[39] His 300th came on 28 April 2019, in the 2–0 away victory overFrosinone Calcio.[40]
In August 2020, the 33-year-old Callejón left theStadio San Paolo after his contract expired.[41]
On 5 October 2020, Callejón agreed to a deal with Fiorentina.[42] He scored twice in competitive matches during his spell, once inthe league againstUC Sampdoria (3–1 home win)[43] and once in thedomestic cup to help beatCalcio Padova 2–1 also at home.[44]
Callejón returned to Spain on 25 July 2022 after nine years away, signing a one-year contract withGranada CF with the option of an extension based on sporting performance.[45] He won the second tier in hisfirst season, appearing in all 42 games.[46]
In July 2024, aged 37, Callejón joinedPrimera Federación clubMarbella FC.[47] On 24 August, he scored the only goal as the hosts beat his former employers Castilla.[48]
On 19 May 2025, Callejón announced that he would retire at the end ofthe season.[49] Five days later, in his last appearance, he opened an eventual 2–0 home win overAntequera CF, with his team avoiding relegation with that result.[50]
Callejón made his debut for theSpain under-21 team on 25 March 2008 againstKazakhstan in a2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championshipqualifier; he entered the field in the 46th minute after replacingBojan Krkić, and scored shortly after in a 5–0 win.[51]
On 7 November 2014, Callejón was called up tothe full side for the first time, being picked byVicente del Bosque for matches againstBelarus andGermany.[52] He made his debut on the 15th against the former, coming on forSanti Cazorla in the 69th minute of the 3–0 triumph inHuelva for theUEFA Euro 2016qualifying phase.[53]
A versatile, tenacious and hard-working right-footed player, Callejón was capable of playing anywhere along the front line, and was used as aforward or awinger on either flank, in the centre as anattacking midfielder and as asupporting striker. 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 thecentre as amain striker, and was also occasionally deployed in deeper roles under Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid, as acentral midfielder or even as an attackingfull-back orwing-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.[54][55][56][57][58][59]
Callejón's twin brotherJuanmi was also a footballer, and both were Real Madrid graduates.[60][61]
On 6 November 2020, he tested positive forCOVID-19.[62]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other[a] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Madrid B | 2006–07 | Segunda División | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | Segunda División B | 36 | 21 | — | — | — | 36 | 21 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 21 | — | — | — | 41 | 21 | |||||
| Espanyol | 2008–09 | La Liga | 24 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 2 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 97 | 10 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 106 | 12 | ||||
| Real Madrid | 2011–12 | La Liga | 25 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 13 |
| 2012–13 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 7 | ||
| Total | 55 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 77 | 20 | ||
| Napoli | 2013–14 | Serie A | 37 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 2 | — | 52 | 20 | |
| 2014–15 | 38 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 12 | ||
| 2015–16 | 38 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | — | 47 | 13 | |||
| 2016–17 | 37 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | 49 | 17 | |||
| 2017–18 | 38 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | — | 50 | 12 | |||
| 2018–19 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | 47 | 4 | |||
| 2019–20 | 33 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 45 | 4 | |||
| Total | 255 | 64 | 24 | 6 | 69 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 349 | 82 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2020–21 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 55 | 2 | ||||
| Granada | 2022–23 | Segunda División | 42 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Total | 67 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 70 | 5 | ||||
| Marbella | 2024–25 | Primera Federación | 38 | 11 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 603 | 119 | 54 | 15 | 78 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 739 | 153 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2014 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | |
.jpg)
Real Madrid
Napoli
Granada
Individual
