Let’s take your memory back to the 2013/2014 season when Jese Rodriguez became the man that we all had our eyes on as he was probably the most exciting player to come out of the Real Madrid academy at the time.
Unfortunately, a horrible ACL injury forced his career to take a different path than what he imagined for himself. Now, he took time to speak to AS and discuss how things have been going for him.
“I thought I had friends in Madrid’s dressing room and I was wrong. They are not friends anymore because they didn’t reply to my messages or ask me how I was. It is not a criticism, everyone does what they want to do.”
Even though Jese is now with Paris Saint-Germain, he has not been included in this season’s squad and therefore is just training with them and trying to get back to full fitness as he looks for a new club to join whether in January or during the summer transfer window. Before joining the French giants on a permanent deal, Jese was with Las Palmas and Stoke City on loan.
“I came to Paris, I had appendicitis and was out for two months, and never played regularly. If I had been strict with myself after the injury in Madrid, maybe things would have happened differently.”
It’s clear that Jese places the blame on himself for how his career has turned out so far but he’s still quite young and therefore still has time for a turning point in what was such a promising career. If he’s able to regain the form he had earlier in his playing days, the Spaniard will definitely be a force in the game and can be a massive asset to any team that employs him for the upcoming season.
From a personal perspective and as a fan of this club and of the player himself, it’s really sad to see his comments about not having friends at Madrid. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we hear of something similar to this. What he said wasn’t meant as an attack on the club but rather something that he looks back on with regret and sadness.
When you leave your childhood club thinking you made some good connections and friends that you believed would stand beside you throughout your days, it’s very difficult to be hit with the realization that reality is different and you were maybe seen as just another teammate who was there and isn’t anymore.
I truly wish the best of luck to Jese and I genuinely hope that we see a turning point in a career which was so promising at one point. I look forward to seeing where his future lies.