Football fans couldn’t help but admire the promising performance of Leeds United‘s young striker Mateo Joseph in the 3-2 loss to Chelsea.
The 20-year-old forward was making his second consecutive cup start, marking only his second appearance of the season across all competitions for the club. His performance at the FA Cup fifth-round at Stamford Bridge kept all Chelsea fans on the edge of their seats till the final moments.
Joseph left his mark by scoring his first senior goal before netting a brace against the Premier League giants.
The Leeds United academy is famous for producing young talent, and the way 20-year-old Mateo held his own against Premier League defenses and took them out of possession, it looks like The Whites have found their new starboy.
The Leeds striker’s full name is Mateo Joseph Fernández-Regatillo, and he was born October 19th, 2003, in Spain to an English father of Antiguan descent and a Spanish mother.
Interestingly, he is a relative of former England striker Emile Heskey. Having said that, he holds Spanish and British citizenship, although he prefers to play for the English side.
Mateo is a youth product of Racing Santander but moved to the academy of Espanyol in 2017 after a prolific season. However, a little over two years ago, in January 2022, he transferred to his current side, Leeds, on an initial three-year contract.
Mateo Joseph’s new contract and salary
Fast forward to January 2024, and Mateo penned a new deal with Leeds United, extending his stay at the club until the summer of 2028. The entire negotiation process was managed by Mateo’s agent, Wasserman Group.
“It feels great to be part of a huge club like Leeds United,” revealed Mateo Joseph, who wears number 49 on his shirt.
“This is one of the happiest days of my life for me and my family. I just want to return the confidence that the club gave me, by on the pitch working hard.”
“I am very thankful because we have a great atmosphere in the dressing room. Everyone is trying to help everyone. I just have to say thank you to everyone,” admitted the forward.
Thanks to his new contract Mateo Joseph’s salary at Leeds United is quite respectable.
According to Capology, Mateo Joseph is set to receive a gross base salary of £780,000 for the 2023-2024 season, equating to £15,000 per week, excluding bonuses. But given his performance trajectory, it seems like a worthwhile investment.
Mateo Joseph’s playing position and record so far
Having joined Leeds at the age of 18, the 1.85m tall Mateo Joseph is primarily deployed as a striker, although occasionally utilized out wide as. well.
He has showcased his talent by tallying 20 goals and providing three assists in 37 appearances across Leeds’ various youth teams.
In March 2023, Joseph also received his first call-up to the England U-20 squad and made his debut during a 2–0 win over Germany in Manchester. Subsequently, Joseph was also included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Following his international debut, Mateo Joseph made three appearances during that tournament, contributing with one assist.
At the U-20 level for England, he has recorded three goals and two assists in 10 matches. He has the provision of changing his allegiance to Spain, as the striker is not yet tied down to a particular nation.
He has taken every challenge in his stride so far and has slowly built his way into senior action at Leeds United since making his debut in the white shirt back in 2020.
While Mateo Joseph has featured in 20 games for the senior team, he has primarily made cameo appearances. Seventeen of his appearances have been brief spells of 22 minutes or less on the field, with only three starts to his name.
Two out of this three starts have occurred consecutively in FA Cup matches, where he notably impressed against Plymouth Argyle by hitting the woodwork and securing a brace against Chelsea.
Mateo Joseph FC 24 ratings
Given his performances, it’s conceivable that Daniel Farke must be considering a Championship start for Joseph.
While it’s uncertain whether Farke will include the striker in upcoming matches, you should certainly consider adding him to your EA FC 24 squad. Despite his current rating of 64, Mateo Joseph’s potential in the game is an impressive 80.
Mateo Joseph in FC 24 possesses 2 Skill moves and 3 Weak Foot, and his work rates are Medium/Medium. In the game, he is valued at €1.5M with a modest weekly wage of just €6.1K.
What Daniel Farke has said about Mateo Joseph
Daniel Farke has expressed his satisfaction with working alongside the forward, stating, “Mateo is a really good, young player, and I loved already working with him in pre-season. “
“We work with him on a daily basis, and what I like a lot about him [is] he’s humble, he’s down to earth, and he likes to work. He likes to work additionally; he’s always open for hints and individual work, and we try to improve him from each and every day. Today it was also not a gift or coincidence I played him because just a few key players were out.”
It appears that the respect between them is mutual. When speaking about his experience at Leeds, the forward also expressed his admiration for Farke, stating, “The manager has also helped me a lot since he arrived.”
“He said he was impressed with the young players and he is trying to help us to put in our mind that we have to deliver every day.”
Indeed, it will be intriguing to observe Daniel Farke’s decision-making once Patrick Bamford returns from his injury. While replacing Bamford won’t be a simple task, the glimpses of talent displayed by Mateo Joseph are undeniable. If he can maintain his fitness and steer clear of previous injury concerns, we may well witness the emergence of the next promising talent from Leeds United.
