The captain is here to stay: Koke agrees to new contract with Atlético

Nearly seven years after his previous contract renewal, Atlético Madrid midfielder Koke has agreed to a new deal that should see him finish his career as a one-club man.

Atlético and Koke made it official on Monday, three months before the 32-year-old would have become available as a free agent — with rumors in recent weeks linking him to Major League Soccer or a Middle East experience. But Koke, easily among the greatest players ever to don the red-and-white stripes, never wanted to leave Atleti despite the difficult contract negotiations — which have been concluded on terms that appear very favorable to the club.

What are the terms of Koke’s new contract?

Officially, Koke’s renewal is a simple one-year pact through 2025. However, Atlético have included a clause that will annually renew the contract each season, subject to both club and player deciding to continue together. It is very likely an arrangement that will allow Koke to retire as an Atlético de Madrid player.

Marca has reported that the contract will automatically renew to 2026 if Koke plays a set number of games in the 2024/25 season — a clause that has been included in the contracts of Atleti’s various over-30 defenders. The parties are expected “review” the situation again following the 2025/26 campaign, after which Koke will be 34 years old.

A one-year commitment to players over 30 has long been Atlético’s official policy — with the notable exception of Luis Suárez, who signed a two-year deal in the summer of 2020. Infamously, this policy was the reason Diego Godín, another club legend, left as a free agent after the 2018/19 season. And since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has been more interested in adding the appearance-based clauses and even deferring money (in the cases of Thomas Lemar and Jan Oblak) to players just entering their 30s.

The club’s majority shareholder though convinced Koke to take a pay cut of more than 60 percent, leaving one to wonder whether the club’s all-time appearances leader will receive deferred millions once his career is over, or whether a separate deal has been reached to make him an academy coach or a club ambassador upon retirement — perhaps a leadership role within Leyendas Atlético de Madrid, which represents the club’s retired stars.

In a video published to the club’s media channels, Koke said that soldiering on at the club of his life is something he has always wanted, even if the 70-time Spain international had to sacrifice more than half his net salary to make it happen.

“As long as I have the strength, the mentality and the desire to compete, I will be here,” he said. “That is what I have always dreamed about.”

What Koke still has to accomplish at Atlético

Koke last season passed 1960s star Adelardo Rodríguez for the most games in Atlético history, and he has now made 626 official appearances for the club since debuting in 2009. If Koke stays healthy over the next two years — he has played at least 30 league games for 11 consecutive seasons — reaching the 700-game milestone is not out of the question.

“I have had many opportunities to leave my home, but I never wanted to,” Koke said. “In the most difficult moments, you have to stay, but how could I leave in the best moment for the club? It’s an honor to be the captain of Atlético de Madrid.”

Koke lifted LALIGA as Atlético’s captain three years ago, one of eight trophies he has won at the club. Two more titles will tie him with Adelardo for the most trophies in club history. Atlético are a non-factor in the league title race and bowed out of the Copa del Rey at the semifinal stage, but Los Rojiblancos remain alive in this season’s UEFA Champions League — a competition they have never won.

“I want to return to Neptuno (to celebrate trophies) with the fans,” Koke said. “We have reached a good agreement for both parties so that I can stay here until practically the day I can retire.”

Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Another responsibility Koke will have as Diego Simeone’s field marshal is helping to mold his eventual replacement in midfield. That player is widely expected to be Pablo Barrios, who has mostly impressed in his first full season as a member of the first team. The 20-year-old has filled in admirably for Koke as Simeone’s pivot when the captain has been unavailable, and he’s also shown great promise as an interior midfielder. Arthur Vermeeren is still adapting to LALIGA following his midseason move from Royal Antwerp, but the teenager is also regarded as a key player in Atlético’s future, with the versatility to play as a 5 or as an 8.

Koke’s renewal for — in all likelihood — two more seasons allows the pair of young midfielders to continue developing, without the need to rush them into every-three-days action in elite football before they are ready.

“Being able to reach this point is something incredible for me and my family,” Koke said in the interview published Monday. “I hope to perform on the field with all my strength, as I have been doing in recent years.”