Mikel San José awarded lifetime disability pension after court ruling | OneFootball

Mikel San José has been granted a lifetime incapacity pension after the Basque Country High Court ruled in his favour.

According to Superdeporte, his initial application to Social Security was rejected, but judges have now upheld his appeal despite arguments over his age and match volume.

San José spent the last decade with Athletic Club, having arrived from Liverpool’s academy on loan before signing permanently. After a subdued final spell in Bilbao, he left in 2020 for Birmingham in England’s second tier for one season. He then returned to Spain to join Amorebieta in LaLiga Hypermotion.

A back injury sidelined him for nearly two months, then he came back in February and featured almost continuously until the end of the campaign. He retired at 33, despite regularly completing 90 minutes through much of the run-in.

He has said he lived with two herniated discs in his lower back since he was 21, and that daily training, falls, changes of direction and collisions took their toll.

The non-unanimous ruling means he will receive about 1,600 euros gross each month. It is not the first case of its kind, and the decision sets a worrying precedent for players in LaLiga and other tiers who may pursue similar claims.

Source: Superdeporte