Atlético Madrid captain Koke has played 467 games for Los Rojiblancos and is three away from reaching Enrique Collar. Provided he remains injury-free he will do it before the end of the month and will be among the three players who have played the most times for the Madrid club.
At 28 years old, Koke is in the prime of his long career. Atlético’s captain is one of the leaders of Diego Simeone’s team, both on and off the pitch. This season he in great form, playing in a more advanced role, he has played in every match so far this season.
But the best for Koke is yet to come, before the end of this month, he could be level on 470 games played with Collar and in December surpass him. Atlético’s next four games are against Barcelona, Lokomotiv Moscow, Valencia and Bayern Munich. Against the German team, current European champions, he could play his 471st match for Atlético.
When he does, he will be the third player in the history of the club to have played the most matches. Adelardo Rodríguez tops the list on 553 games. Tomás Reñones represented Atlético on 483 occasions, so if Koke stays consistent he will also reach him before the end of this season. In 467 games (324 appearances in LaLiga), Koke has scored 45 goals. The next month and a half that remains of 2020 is full of challenges. Firstly Barcelona on Saturday, a side Simeone has never beaten in LaLiga. The Bayern clash will be special because Atlético will not forget the recent 4-0 defeat and in December the Madrid derby against Real Madrid takes place. The captain has seven titles with Atlético: one league, one Copa del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, two Europa League and two European Super Cups.
In Spain’s 6-0 win over Germany midweek, Koke received the captain’s armband after a hamstring injury to Sergio Ramos saw him go off. This is a player who hadn’t been called up to a La Roja squad since 2018. It certainly feels like he is entering his prime, and with still a long way to go at just 28, he could break even more records. Jorge Resurrección Merodio or simply, Koke.
