Former Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique retires from football at the age of 31 due to knee injury
FORMER Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique has retired from football aged 31 due to a long-term knee injury.
The Spaniard, who also enjoyed a spell at Newcastle, told Marca he could not play without medication to fight the pain.
Jose Enrique has retired from football at the age of 31Getty ImagesJose Enrique’s spell at Liverpool coincided with Luis Suarez and Raheem SterlingAP:Associated Press
And Enrique admits the “worst moments” of his life came in his final season with the Reds under Jurgen Klopp.
Enrique, who is without a club after a season at Real Zaragoza, endured the start of his injury hell during his five years at Anfield.
He said: “I could not play without medication, I did not even train. It was hard, desperate.
“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.
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Jose Enrique endured a terrible time in his final year at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp-Jose Enrique’s knee problem was so bad he could not play without medicationAFP
“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.”
Enrique travelled to his homeland for surgery but it did not fix the problem – which turned out to be a broken meniscus.
He added: “I was never the same, it was frustrating.
“I was 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.”
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Klopp made Enrique captain in his final Liverpool game against West Ham in January last year but the player's smiles then hid his pain.
He said: "The worst moments of my life [came in my final year at Liverpool].
"He [Klopp] was sincere with me. I trained with the first team. But I wondered, 'what do I do here with 20-year-old lads?'
"Klopp let me be captain of Liverpool in my farewell, an honour that I will always thank him for."
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