José Enrique

At 38 years old, José Enrique has this physical status:

José Enrique Sánchez D'az (born 23 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who competed as a left-back.

José Enrique was signed by Levante and made La Liga appearances for Celta Vigo and Villarreal beginning his career with Levante. He played for Newcastle United and Liverpool in England for nine years, totaling 161 Premier League appearances. He won the Football League Cup and lost the FA Cup final in 2012 with the latter team. After a year with Real Zaragoza in Spain, he recovered from injury in 2017.

Personal life

In May 2018, José Enrique was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare brain tumor. He announced on June 23, 2018 that he was recovering from brain surgery to remove a brain tumor. "I am now in recovery and so grateful," he said. "Life is too precious." He was issued with the all-clear in April 2019.

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Club career

José Enrique was born in Valencia. He began his football career at hometown club Levante before being acquired by rivals Valencia, who sent him to Celta Vigo for a season-long loan. At the conclusion of this loan spell, he was signed by Villarreal in 2006.

On 6 August 2007, José Enrique signed for English Premier League club Newcastle United for a fee believed to be £6.3 million. He signed a five-year contract with the club. He made his Newcastle debut on 29 August against Barnsley in which he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 victory, and his Premier League debut as a substitute against West Ham United on 23 September.

José Enrique's performances were rewarded when he was made the official Newcastle United Player of the Season for 2009–10, voted for by the fans. He also achieved the accolade of being named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Newcastle teammates Fabricio Coloccini, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll. José Enrique scored his only goal for the club in a 2–0 league win over Nottingham Forest on 29 March 2010. He made 36 Premier League appearances for Newcastle in the 2010–11 season.

On 12 August 2011, José Enrique signed for Liverpool for a reported fee of £6 million. He made his debut two days later in Liverpool's first game of the 2011–12 Premier League season, starting in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland. On 26 February 2012, he helped Liverpool win the 2012 Football League Cup Final against Cardiff City, their first honour since 2006. On 1 April, he was forced to play as a goalkeeper for the remaining 13 minutes of the match at his old club Newcastle after Pepe Reina was sent off for headbutting James Perch. Although José Enrique kept a clean sheet, Liverpool, being down 2–0 at the time of Reina's red card, failed to level the score. He also played in the 2012 FA Cup Final on 5 May, a 2–1 loss to Chelsea.

On 17 November 2012, in a league match against Wigan Athletic, José Enrique scored his first goal for Liverpool in the 65th minute, having been increasingly reinvented as a left wing-back in a 3–5–2 formation under manager Brendan Rodgers. On 1 October 2014, he made his UEFA Champions League debut for Liverpool against Basel in Switzerland, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat.

In his final three seasons at Liverpool, José Enrique made only 21 total appearances, 12 of which were in the league. He was hampered by a persistent injury to his right knee, and the side-effects of medication to deal with it. He captained the club in his final appearances, against Exeter City in the FA Cup in January 2016. José Enrique was released by Liverpool at the end of the 2015–16 season.

On 7 September 2016, José Enrique signed for Segunda División club Real Zaragoza on a two-year contract. He made his debut on 8 October, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 loss away to Sevilla Atlético, and scored his first goal on 5 November in a 2–2 draw away to RCD Mallorca.

On 6 September 2017, José Enrique announced his retirement from football due to a persistent knee injury.

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