Jose Enrique on his secret Liverpool agony – and why he'll always be grateful to Jurgen KloppFormer Anfield left-back forced to retire at the age of 31
Jose Enrique has revealed the agony that plagued his final years at Liverpool after announcing his retirement from football aged 31.
But the Spaniard has thanked Jurgen Klopp for the “honour” of being made Reds captain on his last-ever start for the club.
Enrique, who has been without a club since being released by Real Zaragoza in the summer, has chosen to hang up his boots having been hampered by a long-standing knee injury.
The Spaniard struggled with the problem during the final years of his Anfield career, making only 21 appearances in his last three seasons at the club.
And Enrique has revealed to what extent the injury affected not only his fitness, but also his mental state.
“Something that was supposed to be for three months ended up turning into two years,” he said. “I saw five doctors in England, but they did not get the problem.
“I'm still not quite right, either physically or mentally, but I feel like starting from scratch.
“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 or effort, my knee swelled like a ball and I was barely able to walk for three days.
“It hurt me, but of so many times that they told me it was a psychological problem I came to believe it.”
As a consequence, Enrique went without treatment for a week ahead of the home game against Crystal Palace in November 2013.
“I ended up only training on the Friday and I went 15 minutes without medication and I could only go in a straight line, I could not turn,” said Enrique, who featured for the full match but ended up playing only a further 29 minutes that season.
Enrique then travelled to Spain for an operation, but admitted: “I was never the same, it was frustrating. I was three months playing with a damaged meniscus. I had to escape to Spain, because I could not even walk.
“I could not compete and I had a terrible time. It affected me a lot because I wanted to play and could not.
“I had an anxiety attack thinking 'what the hell is wrong with me?' I did not understand it.”
Speaking to Spanish news outlet Marca, Enrique admitted his final year at Liverpool under Klopp was “horrible”, although the painful memory was eased slightly by being named captain for his final starts for the Reds in the FA Cup ties against Exeter City.
“The worst moments of my life were under Klopp because, being well, I knew I could play some games, but he was sincere with me,” said the Spaniard, who made 99 appearances and scored twice for the Reds.
“Klopp let me be captain of Liverpool in my farewell, an honor for which I will always be grateful.”
Explaining his decision to retire, Enrique said: “I want to be an older man who can walk, not an invalid.”
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