Koke was born inMadrid.[4] Having arrived atAtlético Madrid's youth system at the age of eight, he made his debut for the first team on 19 September 2009, playing in the second half of a 5–2 away loss againstFC Barcelona after coming on as asubstitute forPaulo Assunção.[5] He made three further appearances during the season.[6][7][8]
Koke scored his first league goal for Atlético againstSevilla FC on 26 February 2011, his 47th-minute header from aDiego Forlán cross made it 1–1 in an eventual 2–2 home draw.[9] He finished hisfirst full season as a professional with 17 games and two goals (the other coming in a 2–2 draw atRCD Espanyol),[10] as theColchoneros finished seventh andqualified for theUEFA Europa League.
Koke was again an important member of Atlético's midfield in2011–12, under bothGregorio Manzano and his successorDiego Simeone.[11] He scored his first league goal of the campaign on 29 April 2012, opening the score in the 62nd minute of an eventual 2–2 away draw againstReal Betis.[12] He appeared in 13 matches during the club's successful Europa League run, including a 90th-minute substitute appearance in the 3–0 defeat ofAthletic Bilbao inthe final.[13]
On 1 September 2013, Koke scored his first goal of thenew season, contributing to a 2–1 away win overReal Sociedad.[17] His performances in October earned him the accolade ofLa Liga Player of the Month, while Simeone won the equivalent managerial award;[18] on 3 March 2014, he scored to help his team to a 2–2 home draw in theMadrid derby against Real Madrid.[19]
Koke started2015–16 slowly, scoring one goal and registering not a single assist by the middle of November.[30] By the middle of April 2016, after a spell of six decisive passes in as many games, he equalled his season's assist record of 12;[31] later that month he surpassed that tally, also moving to first place in the assists chart ahead of Barcelona'sLuis Suárez,[32] and was voted Player of the Month for the second time.[33]
On 23 October 2016, Koke wassent off for the first time in his career, for two yellow cards in a 1–0 loss at Sevilla.[34] The following 24 May, he signed a new five-year contract until 2024.[35] Only two months after turning 26, he entered the top 10 appearance makers in Atlético history with his 361st againstDeportivo de La Coruña on 1 April 2018.[36]
Koke played his 400th official match for the club on 20 January 2019 – becoming the youngest player to do so in the process, at the age of 27 – scoring once and providing one assist in a 3–0 away defeat ofSD Huesca.[37] AfterDiego Godín's departure in the summer, he becameteam captain.[38][39]
On 23 June 2020, Koke played his 450th game in a 1–0 away win againstLevante UD, again the youngest to reach that figure for the club.[40] The following 12 May, as his sideneared the league title, he made his 500th appearance in a 2–1 home victory over Real Sociedad, a feat only done before byAdelardo Rodríguez;[41] he broke the former's record on 1 October 2022 in his 554th match, a 2–0 win at Sevilla.[42]
On 12 February 2023, Koke appeared in his 402nd game in the top division, again surpassing Adelardo, in a 1–0 away defeat ofRC Celta de Vigo.[43] In March 2024, he agreed to an extension until June 2025.[44]
Koke was a member of theSpain under-20s who reached the quarter-finals at the2011 FIFA World Cup in Colombia. He missed in the last-16 penalty shootout againstSouth Korea, but his side advanced nonetheless.[47]
Koke (left) on the bench with Atlético teammateDavid Villa, in a friendly withChile in 2013
On 14 August 2013, Koke made his debut for thesenior team, replacingSanti Cazorla for the final 12 minutes of a 2–0friendly win inEcuador.[51] His first competitive appearance forLa Furia Roja came on 6 September of that year, as he played the full 90 minutes in a2014 FIFA World Cupqualifier inFinland that ended with a 2–0 win.[52]
Koke was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup,[53] and was also included in the final list for the tournament.[54] On 19 June, he made his debut inthe tournament after replacingXabi Alonso at half-time as the champions trailed 0–2 toChile at theMaracanã in the second group game, but could not change the scoreline as elimination was confirmed.[55] He started in the final fixture, a 3–0 victory overAustralia.[56]
Koke was also selected by managerJulen Lopetegui for the2018 World Cup in Russia.[57] On 1 July, he was one of two Spanish players to miss his attempt in the round-of-16 shootout againstthe hosts, a 4–3 loss inMoscow.[58]
After two years without a cap, Koke returned to international duty on 11 November 2020 in a 1–1 friendly draw away to theNetherlands, in which he captained the country for the first time.[59] The following May, he was included in the24-man squad forEuro 2020.[60]
Koke earned the plaudits of his peers, including Barcelona'sXavi who regarded him as his successor:
He has everything: talent, physical ability, he is a footballer of the present and the future... He has been marked out as the conductor of Spain's orchestra for the next 10 years. I have a special affection for him because we play in the same position and I think he is an extraordinary player.[64]
^"Gala de premios LFP 2013/14" [LFP awards show 2013/14] (in Spanish). Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional. Archived fromthe original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved10 November 2014.
^Zimmermann, Walter (23 October 2016)."Koke ve la primera roja de su carrera" [Koke sees the first red of his career].Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved6 April 2018.
^Suárez, Isaac; Aznar, Luis (27 November 2015)."No estaba a gusto en la derecha" [I was not comfortable on the right].Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved18 May 2016.
^G. Medina, David (24 October 2014)."Koke es medio Atlético" [Koke is half Atlético].Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved18 May 2016.
