Koke his legend continues to grow. The midfielder is writing a very important story at Atlético. The rojiblanco captain reached 470 official matches against Valencia. In this way, he equaled the legend Enrique Collar as the third player who has played the most games. The midfielder made his debut on September 19, 2009 against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
The midfielder is the youngest footballer to achieve this milestone at Atlético. At this point, only Adelardo Rodríguez (553 games) and Tomás Reñones (483 games) surpass him. His background is devastating: 326 games in LaLiga, 39 in the Copa del Rey, 69 in the Champions League, 29 in the Europa League, 2 in the European Super Cup and 5 in the Spanish Super Cup; scoring 45 goals. Nor should we forget their achievements: one League, one King's Cup, one Spanish Super Cup, two Europa League and two European Super Cups.
Koke achieved this feat on the same day that Saúl and Oblak celebrate their 200 league games.
Captain with self-criticism
Koke is one of the most self-critical captains in memory. The '6' always stands up for his team and whenever he can, he defends his own. The latest example of this is found against Lokomotiv in a tough draw: “It is to be angry. The Champions League does not wait. We have to win what we have left. We come from doing great games, but we have to add three at a time. We depend on ourselves. We must take a step. We started intense, with occasions.”