Born in Valencia, José Enrique began his footballing career at hometown club Levante before being acquired by rivals Valencia CF, who sent him to Celta de Vigo for a season-long loan spell. At the conclusion of this loan spell, he was signed by Villarreal in 2006.
Newcastle United
On 6 August 2007, it was confirmed that Newcastle United had signed José Enrique for a fee believed to be £6.3 million. He signed a five-year contract with the club, who beat off competition from Manchester City and Liverpool for his signature. He made his Newcastle debut on 29 August in a match against Barnsley in which he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 victory, and his Premier League debut as a substitute against West Ham United on 23 September. José Enrique's performances were rewarded when he was made the official Newcastle United Player of the Season for 2009–10, voted for by the fans. He also achieved the accolade of being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year alongside Newcastle teammates Fabricio Coloccini, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll. José Enrique scored his only goal for the club in a 2–0 league win over promotion rivals Nottingham Forest on 29 March 2010. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he made 36 Premier League appearances in total for the Magpies.
Liverpool
On 11 August 2011, Newcastle agreed a £7 million fee with Liverpool for José Enrique, and a day later he joined the Merseyside club. Two days after signing, José Enrique made his debut in Liverpool's first game of the 2011–12 Premier League, starting at left back in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland. On 26 February 2012, he helped Liverpool win the 2012 Football League Cup Final against Cardiff City, their first honour since 2006. On 1 April, he was forced to play as a goalkeeper for the remaining 13 minutes of the match at his old club Newcastle after Pepe Reina was sent off for headbutting James Perch. Although José Enrique kept a clean sheet, the Reds, being down 2–0 at the time of Reina's red card, failed to level the score. He also played in the 2012 FA Cup Final on 5 May, a 2–1 loss to Chelsea. On 17 November 2012, in a league match against Wigan Athletic, José Enrique scored his first goal for Liverpool in the 65th minute, having been increasingly reinvented as a left wing back in an unconventional 3–5–2 formation under manager Brendan Rodgers. On 1 October 2014, he made his Champions League debut for Liverpool against Basel in Switzerland, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. In his final three seasons at Anfield, José Enrique made only 21 total appearances, 12 of which in the league. He was hampered by a persistent right-knee injury, and the side-effects of medication to deal with it. He captained the club in his final games, against Exeter City in the FA Cup in January 2016. On 9 May 2016, José Enrique was released by Liverpool from his contract.
Real Zaragoza
On 7 September 2016, having been a free agent for four months, José Enrique signed for Spanish second tier side Real Zaragoza on a two-year deal. He made his debut for the Aragonese on 8 October, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 loss at Sevilla Atlético, and scored his first goal on 5 November in a 2–2 draw at RCD Mallorca. On 6 September 2017, José Enrique announced his retirement from football due to a persistent knee injury.
Personal life
José Enrique was diagnosed with chordoma, a rare brain tumour, in May 2018. On 23 June 2018, he announced that he was recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumour. He stated, "I am now in recovery and so thankful. Life is too precious." In April 2019, he received the all-clear.
