“I could have taken the money and sat on the bench or in the stands but it was Newcastle and I felt I couldn’t do that.”
Jose Enrique recently announced his retirement from football at the age of 31.
The Spanish full-back walked away from the game after failing to overcome a long-term knee injury, which dogged his final seasons with Liverpool. His last season as a professional was in the Spanish second division with Real Zaragoza, and if he had not blocked Jamie Carragher on Twitter, there’s a chance most people in this part of the world not have realised he had decided to retire.
Can't even wish him all the best in the future! pic.twitter.com/z1FTXNjpCk
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) September 6, 2017
Enrique had only made 21 appearances in his final three seasons at Anfield, before being released in May 2016, and slipped from the thoughts of most football fans.
Before Liverpool, the Spanish full-back impressed with Newcastle United between 2007 and 2011, making 129 appearances for the Magpies as part of the side that was relegated from the Premier League, but then won the Championship and secured their Premier League status the following season. Enrique left in somewhat acrimonious circumstances, using Twitter to criticise the club for a perceived lack of ambition.
“The club is allowing all the major players of the team to go. Seriously, do you think it is the fault of the players? Andy [Carroll], Nobby [Kevin Nolan] etc etc. This club will never again fight to be among the top six again with this policy.”
Enrique’s departure left a sour taste in the mouths of Newcastle fans, and the player was criticised by Carragher in 2015 for choosing to see out his contract at Liverpool, instead of seeking first-team football elsewhere.
“I am sure there are clubs in England or Spain who would want him for less money. It is about whether he really has the hunger to play even if it means a pay cut,” Carragher wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
However, according to Enrique, his body was giving up on him as his knee injury took its toll. The Spaniard claims he rejected the opportunity to return to Newcastle at that time, despite being offered a two-year contract, because he felt injuries wouldn’t allow him to play to his best.
“I had a chance to come back before Rafa (Benitez),” Enrique told the Chronicle Live during an interview, in which he admits he suffered panic and anxiety attacks as he tried to overcome his knee injury.
“Steve McClaren was the manager and he wanted me back and there was an offer from Newcastle. It was the January of 2015 and there was a contract for me of two to three years – it would have been a good contract and a chance to return to the city I loved but I decided not to do it. To be honest I wasn’t sure about myself and my injuries. I was struggling physically and – to be honest – I knew I would be sh*t for them. I could have taken the money and sat on the bench or in the stands but it was Newcastle and I felt I couldn’t do that. When I was there the first time I played good football and I knew if I went back, I wasn’t the same player. It would have ruined what happened for me the first time. I didn’t want people to look back and think ‘Maybe he was sh*t after all’. It was a good contract. I only had six months left at Liverpool so it made sense to take it but I wanted to end on a high. I couldn’t go back and not give it my all.”
That contract would have been the last big deal of Enrique’s career, so it’s admirable that he chose to turn it down because he felt he couldn’t play to his best. The easy option would have been to take the contract and continue to be a fringe player without contributing to the first-team.
