Koke was born in Madrid.[4] Having arrived at Atlético 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 against FC Barcelona after coming on as a substitute for Paulo Assunção.[5] He made three further appearances during the season.[6][7][8]
Koke scored his first league goal for Atlético against Sevilla FC on 26 February 2011, his 47th-minute header from a Diego Forlán cross made it 1–1 in an eventual 2–2 home draw.[9] He finished his first full season as a professional with 17 games and two goals (the other coming in a 2–2 draw at RCD Espanyol),[10] as the Colchoneros finished seventh and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
Koke was again an important member of Atlético's midfield in 2011–12, under both Gregorio Manzano and his successor Diego 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 against Real 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 of Athletic Bilbao in the final.[13]
On 1 September 2013, Koke scored his first goal of the new season, contributing to a 2–1 away win over Real Sociedad.[17] His performances in October earned him the accolade of La 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 the Derbi madrileño against Real Madrid.[19]
Koke started 2015–16 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's Luis Suárez,[32] and was voted Player of the Month for the second time.[33]
On 23 October 2016, Koke was sent 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 against Deportivo 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 of SD Huesca.[37] After Diego Godín's departure in the summer, he became team captain.[38][39]
On 23 June 2020, Koke played his 450th game in a 1–0 away win against Levante UD, again the youngest to reach that figure for the club.[40] The following 12 May, as his side neared the league title, he made his 500th appearance in a 2–1 home victory over Real Sociedad, a feat only done before by Adelardo 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 of RC Celta de Vigo.[43] In March 2024, he agreed to an extension until June 2025.[44]
Koke (left) on the bench with Atlético teammate David Villa, in a friendly with Chile in 2013
Koke was a member of the Spain under-20 side which reached the quarter-finals at the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Colombia. He missed in the last-16 penalty shootout against South Korea, but his team advanced nonetheless.[46]
Koke was named in Spain's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup,[52] and was also included in the final list for the tournament.[53] On 19 June, he made his debut in the tournament after replacing Xabi Alonso at half-time as the champions trailed 0–2 to Chile at the Maracanã in the second group game, but could not change the scoreline as elimination was confirmed.[54] He started in the final fixture, a 3–0 victory over Australia.[55]
Koke was also selected by manager Julen Lopetegui for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[56] On 1 July, he was one of two Spanish players to miss his attempt in the round-of-16 shootout against the hosts, a 4–3 loss in Moscow.[57]
After two years without a cap, Koke returned to international duty on 11 November 2020 in a 1–1 friendly draw away to the Netherlands, in which he captained the country for the first time.[58] The following May, he was included in the 24-man squad for Euro 2020.[59]
Koke earned the plaudits of his peers, including Barcelona's Xavi 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.[63]
^Ruiz Escobar, Ignacio (29 October 2012). "Simeone y la pócima mágica" [Simeone and the magic potion]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2018.
^"Gala de premios LFP 2013/14" [LFP awards show 2013/14] (in Spanish). Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 10 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). Retrieved 6 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). Retrieved 18 May 2016.
^G. Medina, David (24 October 2014). "Koke es medio Atlético" [Koke is half Atlético]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2016.
