José María Callejón Bueno (; born 11 February 1987) is éCallejóa Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for La Liga club Granada.
He began his career with the reserve teams of Real Madrid, but made a name for himself at Espanyol. In 2011 he returned to his previous club and, two years later, left for Napoli, where he won two Coppa Italia tournaments and the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana while appearing in 349 competitive matches (82 goals scored).
An under-21 international, Callejón made his senior debut for Spain in 2014.
Club career
Real Madrid
A product of Real Madrid youth ranks, Callejón was born in Motril, Granada, Andalusia. He made his professional debut for the reserves in May 2007, and played five games in that season's Segunda División 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.
Espanyol
At the end of the season, Callejón left Real Madrid (with twin brother Juanmi) and signed a four-year contract with RCD Espanyol. He made his La Liga debut on 20 September 2008, as a late substitute in a 1–1 home draw against Getafe CF.
On 15 March 2009, as Espanyol struggled immensely in the league – eventually ranking in tenth position – Callejón scored his first goal for the Catalans in a 3–3 home draw to RCD Mallorca. He continued to be an undisputed starter under Mauricio Pochettino 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. 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 €5.5 million. On 16 July, he played his first match for them in a 4–1 friendly victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy, 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 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 group stage as leaders, Callejón was handed a rare start by manager José Mourinho on 22 November 2011, and responded by scoring a brace in a 6–2 home rout of NK Dinamo Zagreb. He added another two in the last round, at AFC Ajax (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 for the season's Copa del Rey 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.
Napoli
On 9 July 2013, Italian club SSC Napoli 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 debut on 25 August, netting the opener in a 3–0 home win over Bologna F.C. 1909, 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 for his new team, grabbing his team's first in a 2–1 victory at Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League group stage.
On 3 May 2014, Callejón set up Dries Mertens for the third goal in a 3–1 win against ACF Fiorentina in the final of the Coppa Italia. He scored once in the final game of the season, a 5–1 home rout of Hellas Verona F.C. 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. His second came on 24 September, as he scored at the stroke of half-time to put his side up 3–2 against U.S. Città di Palermo in an eventual 3–3 home draw. On 19 October, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at Inter Milan, with all four of the game's goals coming in the last 11 minutes.