Before he knew it and without even having had time to savour the first seconds of his debut, Joselu Mato was rolling on the floor of La Rosaleda in unbridled ecstasy after scoring with a header from a Fabián cross, his first goal for the National Team. The goal made it 2-0 in what had been a tough match against Norway, but the party did not end there, far from it. In the blink of an eye history repeated itself, this time as fox in the box, sniffing out a second goal. All in all, a historical international debut brace that made this March 25, 2023 a day that Joselu will never forget, for obvious reasons. "It is a day that I have dreamed about a lot, but even in my dreams it was not this perfect, everything has turned out so well, it´s a dream debut."

At the end of the match, surrounded by fans and loved ones all demanding photos, signatures and to meet and congratulate him, the Galician striker (born in Stuttgart, but with undeniably Galician roots) looked for familiar faces in the form of his family, watching on from the stands at La Rosaleda. His wife, overwhelmed with emotion, shared her euphoria with the attacker, her tears all made sense when you think of all those years of hard work and going looking for goals anywhere he can. "Family is everything to me, they are the ones who help me on a day-to-day basis, and they were the first people I thought about. For me they are fundamental in my life and I want them to know that."

But he was still waiting for the chance to hug his children who were next to Joselu's brother-in-law, Dani Carvajal, waiting on excitedly because their dad had put in a stellar performance on his debut. Joselu picked them up and lowered them on to the playing surface of the Andalusian stadium, and asked them proudly: “Who scored two goals? Who scored two goals today? The children responded in unison, without any doubt in their voices: "Youuuuuuu!"

Joselu, who has scored 12 goals this season for Espanyol, was the second oldest outfield player make their debut with the national team, only behind the legend Ferenc Puskas. The Galician turns 33 tomorrow, a better birthday, which he´ll spend tomorrow preparing for the second Euro 2024 qualifier in Glasgow, is impossible to imagine. "I will keep this shirt in framed in gold" he claimed inside the dressing room.