Koke (footballer born 1992)

Koke, born Jorge Resurrección Merodio, is a Spanish midfielder who spent his entire professional career at Atlético Madrid. He was born on January 8, 1992 in Madrid. He holds the title of the football player who has played the most official matches in the club's history and has been the captain of the team for a long time.

He joined Atlético's infrastructure at a young age, and after playing in the club's B team, he was promoted to the A team. He had his first test in official matches on September 19, 2009, away to Barcelona. He became a permanent part of the midfield during the Diego Simeone era; He stood out with his pass distribution, game discipline and durability.

Achievements at Atlético Madrid

With his club, he won the Spanish League in the 2013-14 and 2020-21 seasons, the UEFA Europa League in 2011-12 and 2017-18, and the Spanish King's Cup in 2012-13; He also brought the UEFA Super Cup to his museum in 2012 and 2018. He was part of the squad that reached the Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016, losing both finals to Real Madrid.

Following the departure of Diego Godín in 2019, the captain's armband passed to him. By playing his 554th official match away to Sevilla in October 2022, he surpassed Adelardo Rodríguez's club record of 553 matches, which is nearly half a century old. He later surpassed the 700-game threshold with Atlético jersey.

national team

He played in the squad that won the Under-21 European Championship with Spain in 2013. He made his debut in the national team the same year and wore the Spain jersey 70 times until 2022. He was in the squads for the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2016 and Euro 2020; He played in six matches at Euro 2020, which was eliminated in the semi-finals.

With his long career in one club, Koke is remembered as one of the examples of loyalty that is becoming increasingly rare in today's football.