José Manuel Jurado

Lore & Background

Born in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Province of Cádiz, Jurado was a product of Real Madrid's youth system. He made his senior debut for Real Madrid in 2005, then moved to Atlético Madrid in 2006. He later played for Mallorca on loan, then Schalke 04, Spartak Moscow, Watford, Espanyol, Al-Ahli Saudi FC, and Changchun Yatai FC. He won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with Atlético Madrid, and the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup with Schalke 04.

In Their Own Story

The sun beat down on the Estadio El Madrigal, but inside the pitch, the air was electric. Jurado received the ball near the halfway line, surrounded by three defenders who thought they had him trapped. With a simple flick of his left foot, he spun away, leaving them grasping at empty air. He looked up, spotted the run of a teammate down the right flank, and threaded a pass that seemed impossible—a laser through a needle's eye. The crowd erupted as the ball arrived perfectly. This was Jurado: calm amidst chaos, turning defense into art.

Reader's Guide

Jurado played as a midfielder. He amassed La Liga totals of 186 games and 22 goals over eight seasons, also representing Mallorca and Espanyol in the competition. He appeared in 71 competitive matches for Schalke 04 in two years. He also played in Russia with Spartak and England with Watford.

Did You Know?

• Jurado made his official debut for Real Madrid on 29 October 2005 in a 2–0 away win over Real Betis.
• He scored his first Bundesliga goal for Schalke 04 on 4 December 2010 in a 2–0 home win against Bayern Munich.
• Jurado played for Spain at youth level, finishing runner-up at the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.
• He was the player with the most official matches for Atlético Madrid in the 2009–10 season, totalling 64 without a single yellow card.