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Jorge Resurrección Merodio also known as Koke is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for the La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
Having risen from the esteemed Atletico Madrid youth set up to their playing eleven, he is currently an integral part of their midfield. He was also a part of the UEFA U-21 European winning Spanish team having started in three of their games.
Profile
Koke is a product of Atletico Madrid’s academy. He made his debut for the side in 2009 and became a vital asset in the midfield under coach Diego Simeone.
His consistent performances at the midfield position resulted in a call up for the U-21 Spanish National side where he played alongside Alcantara. It is indeed a great achievement to play in Spanish midfield with a plethora of upcoming world class talents.
Style, Strength and Weakness
Koke is an attacking midfielder who can be deployed in any of three positions in the midfield (Left Wing, Central Attacking and Right Wing).
His key strengths lie in his ability to take set-pieces and providing inch-perfect crosses from the wing for the more advanced players. His pin-pont cross in the extra time onto the head of Miranda for the winner against Real Madrid in the finals of the Copa Del Rey was something that needs a special mention.
A natural dribbler, he tormented the left side of Barcelona‘s defence in their 1-2 loss against the Champions.
He is always known to be a good passer of the ball and excelled in his abilities to provide key passes. In the last season, because of these abilities, he was seen orchestrating counter-attacks a considerable number of times.
Over the years he has been developed as a player who can hold on to the ball in key areas and has shown enough discipline in tracking back to help the defenders.
Despite these qualities, he has certain weaknesses, that includes his tendency of lashing into unnecessary tackles and picking up bookings. Furthermore, his inability to deal with physical players in the midfield is something that need be worked upon.
Stats
In 2012-13, Koke featured in 48 games including 38 starts. He scored three and provided assists to 9 goals for the club.
For the U-21 National side, he provided one assist in the European championship. Also, he has a pass completion rate of close to 83% across all competitions and provided on an average, 2.3 key passes in every game.
Transfer Situation
After Atletico Madrid lost Falcao to AS Monaco and with Diego Costa probably also on his way to Anfield, it is highly unlikely that Koke will leave the Madrid side, but a good offer from any of the big spending clubs can lure him away from Atletico.
At 20, he has shown enormous potential as a player and is already attracting a number of suitors. He is currently valued at 15 mn Euros.
