Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique retires from football

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 06 September 2017

Jose Enrique brings down the curtain on his football career at the age of just 31 as playing through the pain barrier was becoming too unbearable.

Former Liverpool and Newcastle United left-back Jose Enrique has announced his retirement at the age of 31 due to a troublesome knee injury.

The Spanish defender ended his five-year spell at Anfield to join Real Zaragoza in 2016, going on to make 27 Segunda Division appearances in his only season at the club.

Enrique has been forced to call it a day, however, as the pain of playing regularly has now become too unbearable - a problem first encountered during his time with Liverpool.

"I could not play without medication, I did not even train. It was hard, desperate," he told Spanish outlet Marca. "Sometimes I got dizzy in training on so much medication. After every game my knee swelled like a ball and I was barely able to walk for three days. Something that was supposed to be for three months ended up turning into two years.

"I saw five doctors in England but they did not get the problem. It hurts me, but so many times they told me that it was a psychological problem that I came to believe it. I was never the same, it was frustrating.

"I had been playing for three months with a broken meniscus. I had to escape to Spain because I could not even walk. I could not compete and I had a terrible time. I had an anxiety attack and thought, 'what the hell is wrong with me?'. I did not understand it."

Enrique also took in spells with Levante, Valencia, Celta Vigo and Villarreal during his 13-year senior career.