Mikel San José is a Spanish former professional footballer known for his roles as a defensive midfielder and centre-back.
He began his professional career at Liverpool F.C., where he played from 2007 to 2010.
San José returned to Athletic Club in 2010, where he became a key player until 2020.
Biography
Early Life
Mikel San José Domínguez was born in Pamplona, Navarre, where he began his football journey at the young age of six, playing for Txantrea, a nursery club associated with Athletic Bilbao. His talent was evident early on, and by the age of 16, he left home to join Athletic's academy. He quickly progressed through the ranks, making a significant impact in the Juvenil A team during the 2006–07 season, where he made 27 appearances and scored five goals.
Career
In August 2007, San José made a pivotal move to Premier League club Liverpool F.C., signing a three-year contract for a fee of €400,000. He believed that joining Liverpool's reserves would provide him with better opportunities for top-flight football than remaining in Spain. During his time with Liverpool, he played regularly for the reserves and contributed to their victory in the 2007–08 Premier Reserve League title. However, he returned to Athletic Bilbao on loan in 2009 to gain first-team experience, making his debut in the UEFA Europa League.
San José's career flourished at Athletic Club, where he played from 2010 to 2020, and he also represented Spain at various youth levels, including the under-19 team that won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2007. He made his senior debut for the Spain national team in 2014 and was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2016. His versatility allowed him to play as both a centre-back and a defensive midfielder throughout his career.
After leaving Athletic, he played for Birmingham City F.C. and SD Amorebieta before joining UDC Chantrea, marking the end of his professional playing career.
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Gallery
Career & Clubs
Early career
San José was born in Pamplona, Navarre, where by the age of six he was playing football at Txantrea, a nursery club of the Basque Country-based Athletic Bilbao. At 16, he left home to join Athletic's academy, where he began at Juvenil B level and moved up to the Juvenil A team for the 2006–07 season, during which he made 27 appearances and scored five goals. In August 2007, Premier League club Liverpool confirmed that the 18-year-old San José had joined on a three-year contract for a fee reported as €400,000. He believed he had a greater chance of top-flight football via Liverpool's reserves than by accepting what he saw as an unconvincing offer of bypassing Athletic's third team to play for their B team in the Segunda División B. Over the next two seasons, he played regularly for Liverpool Reserves, and helped them win the 2007–08 Premier Reserve League title. He frequently trained with the first team, but the closest he came to playing for them was in February 2008 as an unused substitute against Chelsea.
Athletic return
In August 2009, San José returned to Athletic Bilbao on a season-long loan to gain more first-team experience. He was given the number 12 shirt, and made his debut on 17 September 2009 in a 3–0 group stage home win against Austria Wien in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. It was reported in early November 2009 that he was frustrated by the lack of first-team opportunities, and that if this did not improve he would look to…
San José was part of the Spanish team who captured the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Having made 16 appearances in that category, he progressed to the under-21s in early 2009. On 29 August 2014, San José was named by full side manager Vicente del Bosque in a 23-man squad for matches against France and Macedonia in September. He made his debut on 4 September, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 0–1 friendly loss to the former, and was subsequently selected for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament alongside Athletic teammate Aritz Aduriz. San José also made seven appearances for the Basque Country representative team between 2011 and 2019.
- Club
- Liverpool F.C. (2007–2010)
- Club
- Athletic Club (2010–2020)
- Club
- Spain national under-19 football team (2007–2008)
- Club
- Spain national under-21 association football team (2009–2011)
- Club
- Spain national under-23 football team (2012–2012)
- Club
- Spain men's national football team (2014–2016)
- Club
- Basque Country regional football team (2011–2016)
- Club
- Birmingham City F.C. (2020–2021)
- Club
- SD Amorebieta (2021–2022)
- Club
- UDC Chantrea
- Club
- Athletic Club (2005–2007)
- Club
- Athletic Club (2009–2010)
- National team
- Spain
Legacy
Athletic Bilbao
Supercopa de España: 2015; runner-up 2009 UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2011–12 Copa del Rey runner-up: 2011–12, 2014–15 Spain U19
UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2007 Spain U21
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011
Clubs
- Athletic Club2005–2007
- Liverpool F.C.2007–2010
- Spain national under-19 football team2007–2008
- Athletic Club2009–2010
- Spain national under-21 association football team2009–2011
- Athletic Club2010–2020
- Basque Country regional football team2011–2016
- Spain national under-23 football team2012–2012
- Spain men's national football team2014–2016
- Birmingham City F.C.2020–2021
- SD Amorebieta2021–2022
- UDC Chantrea2005
Played together with
Aarón MartínSpain national under-21 association football team
Aarón ÑíguezSpain national under-19 football team · 2006–2008- Aarón ÑíguezSpain national under-21 association football team · 2008–2009
Abel ResinoSpain men's national football team · 1991–1991- Abel XavierLiverpool F.C. · 2001–2002
- Abel XavierLiverpool F.C. · 2002–2003
Abelardo FernándezSpain men's national football team · 1991–2001- Abelardo FernándezSpain national under-21 association football team · 1990–1991
- Abelardo FernándezSpain national under-23 football team · 1991–1992
- Adam HammillLiverpool F.C. · 2006–2009
Adam LallanaLiverpool F.C. · 2014–2020
Adam LegzdinsBirmingham City F.C. · 2005–2008
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Mikel San José Domínguez is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder or centre-back.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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