Tough tackling and tenacious Spanish right back Josemi (full name JoseMiguel Gonzales) became Rafa Benitez' first signing as Liverpoolmanager when he arrived from Malaga in July 2004.
Josemi began his career at hometown club Torremolinos beforemoving on to Malaga, where he blossomed into one of the most solid fullbacks in Spanish football.
After assessing the Liverpool squad he inherited, Benitez identifiedright back as a problem position and saw Josemi, a player he knew wellfrom La Liga, as the answer to that problem and snapped him up for whatappeared a bargain £2m.
Initially it looked a shrewd purchase, as the combative full backproduced a man of the match display on his debut against Spurs, but acouple of weeks later he was exposed time and again by Bolton's HenrikPedersen, and it went downhill fast from then on.
A knee injury which ruled him out for six weeks was actually greetedwith relief by many supporters,and he never looked comfortable whenevercalled upon after that. When he played, bad things tended to happen. Hefailed to settle on or off the field and it was no surprise when he wasshipped off to Villarreal in a swap deal with Jan Kromkamp in January2006.
He made an indelible mark on the history of the club however bypositioning himself right next to Steven Gerrard as he lifted theEuropean Cup in Istanbul. His face appears on virtually every shot ofthe reds lifting the trophy, the big fucking geg in.
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