Mikel San José Domínguez (; ; born 30 May 1989) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder or centre-back.
After starting out at Liverpool's reserves San José joined Athletic Bilbao in 2009, initially on loan, and went on to make 397 competitive appearances for the club (winning the 2015 Supercopa de España) before his departure in 2020. He then spent a season back in England with Championship club Birmingham City, and retired in 2022 after one year at Amorebieta in the Segunda División.
San José won European Championships with Spain at under-19 and under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in 2014, and was a member of the squad at the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
Club career
Early career
San José was born in Pamplona, Navarre, where by the age of six he was playing football at Txantrea, a nursery club of the Basque Country-based Athletic Bilbao. At 16, he left home to join Athletic's academy, where he began at Juvenil B level and moved up to the Juvenil A team for the 2006–07 season, during which he made 27 appearances and scored five goals.
In August 2007, Premier League club Liverpool confirmed that the 18-year-old San José had joined on a three-year contract for a fee reported as €400,000. He believed he had a greater chance of top-flight football via Liverpool's reserves than by accepting what he saw as an unconvincing offer of bypassing Athletic's third team to play for their B team in the Segunda División B. Over the next two seasons, he played regularly for Liverpool Reserves, and helped them win the 2007–08 Premier Reserve League title. He frequently trained with the first team, but the closest he came to playing for them was in February 2008 as an unused substitute against Chelsea.
Athletic return
In August 2009, San José returned to Athletic Bilbao on a season-long loan to gain more first-team experience. He was given the number 12 shirt, and made his debut on 17 September 2009 in a 3–0 group stage home win against FK Austria Wien in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. It was reported in early November 2009 that he was frustrated by the lack of first-team opportunities, and that if this did not improve he would look to shorten the loan agreement and move either back to Liverpool or on loan to another club in January 2010; he finally made his La Liga debut on the 8th, playing the last two minutes of the 2–0 away win over Racing de Santander, and finished the campaign with 30 overall appearances, netting three times.
On 19 May 2010, San José was signed permanently by Athletic on a five-year contract. In his first year he was periodically charged with penalty-taking by manager Joaquín Caparrós, replacing longtime regular Andoni Iraola.
In his first Basque derby against Real Sociedad, at the Anoeta Stadium on 5 December 2010, the first goal was scored from a penalty conceded by San José, who scored an own goal early in the second half to complete the 2–0 defeat. The following season, he was an unused substitute in the Copa del Rey and the Europa League finals, both lost.
San José finished the 2012–13 campaign with six goals in all competitions comprised, five in the league as the Lions finished 12th, and was often utilized as a defensive midfielder by coach Marcelo Bielsa. His other successful strike was his first in a European competition, in a 3–3 draw away to HJK Helsinki in the Europa League play-off round second leg.
San José scored the first ever goal for Athletic Bilbao at the new San Mamés Stadium on 16 September 2013, from close range in a 3–2 defeat of RC Celta de Vigo. He began to be overshadowed by fellow youth graduate Aymeric Laporte, however.
On 25 November 2014, San José scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, the only one in a group match away to FC Shakhtar Donetsk – nonetheless, the opponents advanced at Athletic's expense. He also netted the opening goal of a 4–0 win against FC Barcelona in the first leg of the 2015 Supercopa de España, striking from after a clearance from opposing goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
In September 2019, San José reached the milestone of ten years with the same club. On 24 November, he celebrated his 300th appearance in the Spanish top division in a 2–1 away victory against CA Osasuna, breaking a 31–game undefeated streak of the hosts at their El Sadar Stadium.