Jose Enrique was a figure of fun in his last years at Liverpool but we salute him as he is forced to end his career early to injury.
Jose Enrique, the Spanish left back who spent six seasons at Liverpool, has chosen to retire at the age of 31 due to lingering knee injuries.
He arrived from Newcastle in August 2011 as part of the squad overhaul that took place during FSG’s first summer as owners. Kenny Dalglish brought him in from Newcastle to solve the vacant left back spot that had been vacant since Fabio Aurelio left a year earlier. Paul Konchesky had been the only reall left back in the squad in the 2010-11 season. (Well, not a REAL left back, you know what I mean!)
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Reds fans were excited to see their new Spanish recruit who had impressed for Newcastle in three seasons on Tyneside. He had recently helped the Geordies get promoted from Championship. One of the most physically adept full backs in the league, he came with a reputation for pace and strength; two qualities immediately appreciated by the Liverpool faithful grateful to be rid of Hodgson and Konchesky.
A few average seasons saw Brendan Rodgers shift away from the Spaniard who made room for Jon Flanagan and Glen Johnson in the title run of 2013-14. He never made his way back into the team after being upgraded with Alberto Moreno in the summer of 2014.
Despite being a deep squad player he still stayed influential in the dressing room A notorious practical joker he helped keep the dressing room entertained. He also gained a reputation amongst the fans for his light-hearted social media posts.
We would not see him on the pitch for months but there he was, enjoying his life on Instagram. After Jurgen Klopp arrived in 2015 he played a few league cup games and was in fact captain for his last start for Liverpool. A nice way to finish a disappointing time at the club.
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We wish Jose well into his retirement!