Jesé rediscovers his childlike joy after scoring brace for Las Palmas
Former Real Madrid wonderkid Jesé Rodríguez speaks about his emotional return to scoring form and his future plans with Las Palmas in Spain's Segunda División.
Las Palmas forward Jesé Rodríguez has returned from the Christmas break with a renewed spring in his step after bagging a double against Cultural Leonesa before the festive period.
”Like a kid again”
The former Real Madrid and PSG man couldn’t hide his delight in today’s press conference, revealing the pure emotion he felt when finding the back of the net again.
“More than feeling relieved about scoring, I felt like a little kid when I scored again,” Jesé admitted with a beaming smile. The 32-year-old even confessed to his family that he wished the league hadn’t paused for Christmas, such was his enthusiasm to keep the momentum going.
No hard feelings
It’s been a rocky road for the Canary Islands native, whose career hasn’t quite lived up to the stratospheric expectations set during his early Madrid days. However, Jesé appears to have found a mature perspective on criticism:
- He’s not interested in feuds or grudges, even with his harshest critics
- Focused solely on the sporting aspect and proving he still has football in his legs
- Accepts constructive criticism as part of the job
The forward also squashed any rumours of dressing room discord, emphasizing his good relationship with both manager Luis García and sporting director Luis Helguera. “I don’t have problems with anyone,” he stated, pointing to the team’s impressive second-place position in the table as evidence that “the right decisions have been made.”
Future plans
With his Las Palmas contract set to expire on June 30th when he’ll be 33, speculation about retirement might seem natural. But Jesé was crystal clear about his intentions:
“I’m not going to retire, that’s for sure. I want to continue enjoying football, which I love… and if it’s here [at Las Palmas], even better.”
For the Las Palmas faithful, seeing their local boy rediscover his passion for the game is a proper Christmas treat. If he can maintain this form in the second half of the season, promotion to La Liga could be on the cards – and wouldn’t that be the dog’s dinner?