The 22-year-old Spanish international has dismissed links with a summer move away to Chelsea, insisting his desire to replicate Steven Gerrard and build a legacy with his boyhood Club, Atlético Madrid.
In a week that has seen the football world pay its respects to the career of Steven Gerrard, the man who defied the modern day problems with players involving disloyalty, greed and impatience, the news of Koke, not only reaffirming his desire to remain at Atlético Madrid for the following season, but also his plan to follow in the footsteps of the Liverpool icon and become Atléti’s own Gerrard, comes to rejoice for not only Atléti and its supporters but also football fans across the world.
For 17 years, Gerrard has spent his whole career at Anfield, debuting in 1998 and representing Liverpool more than 700 times. In that process, whilst unable to lift the Premier League trophy, having come close in the 2008-09 and 2013-14 seasons, Gerrard lifted arguably the most prized trophy, the Champions League, in the famous comeback in Istanbul against AC Milan in 2005. Alongside that, Gerrard has won the FA Cup twice, the League Cup three times, the old UEFA Cup and two UEFA Super Cups.
However, the Premier League was the coveted prize Gerrard wanted to win, not purely for himself, but for the fans. His desire to win the trophy led him to officially hand in a transfer request in July 2005, with Chelsea and Real Madrid showing interest, shortly after captaining his side in winning the Champions League.
A year before, Chelsea showed interest in acquiring him for that season. With money, talent, ambition and a leader in José Mourinho, Chelsea looked destined to finally land the Liverpool captain.
“Temptation entered my life,” admitted Gerrard, who was at the crossroads, not knowing if he should go with his head or stay with his heart.
However, he decided to stay and went on to clinch triumph in Istanbul in June. Soon after, contract disputes and conflict on both accounts from each side made the outcome seem inevitable. Gerrard officially handed in a transfer request and Chelsea, the champions at the time, again swooped in, tabling a bid of £32m.
July 5th, Gerrard decided to reject temptation and continue with the club he loved. Ten years on, the 34-year-old will play his last game for Liverpool against Stoke City on Sunday as a Liverpool legend before embarking on playing his final few years in the MLS with LA Galaxy.
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Many people involved in football spoke out during the week, acknowledging the feat that the Englishman has accomplished and the respect he has earned by staying true to his colours. Remarkably, ten years from the saga with Gerrard, the club looks to have the same issue with Raheem Sterling, who has turned down contract offers and looks likely to leave as the opening of the transfer period draws near. However, the norm is now common with such young players like Sterling, to develop or have one good season, then be lured away by the richer and more successful clubs.
Fans love seeing homegrown talent rise from the youth academy, enter into their club’s starting eleven, flourish and become a club hero. A player that the fans know is playing for the shirt and is one of their own. Days of seeing the likes of players such as Ryan Giggs, Raúl, Paolo Maldini and the now departing Gerrard seem to be of rarity these days and soon to be something of the past.
Chelsea is again one of the teams to be showing strong interest in Sterling, and whether it be Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Arsenal, he looks to have chosen a future away from Merseyside and the Liverpool faithful are already showing their pain and letting their feelings known publically and to the player himself. Yet this is not a shock in today’s game.
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Instead, what is rather shocking is to hear of a homegrown talent prepared to remain with his boyhood club for love over triumph and money. The news of Koke this week revealing his intentions to stay with Atléti, his boyhood club, ahead of the final game against Granada, will come across as a massive sign of relief for fans with Chelsea breathing down the neck of the club yet again two years running, with Antoine Griezmann also a target for the London based team.
“I have a contract with Atletico, I want to accomplish things and I am happy here,” Koke said.
“Of course I’d like to be Atleti’s Gerrard.”
Though the future of Griezmann is unclear beyond the summer, having the certainty that next season and beyond, Atléti can build a team around homegrown Koke will delight fans and the club alike. With fellow youth academy products Saúl, who recently extended his contract and expressed his desire to commit to Atléti, and Óliver Torres returning from his loan at F.C. Porto next season, perhaps there is still hope for more Steven Gerrards in the future.
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