Playing position 2004–2005 Betis Weight 71 kg | Number 87 Height 1.77 m Career start 2005 | |
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Full name José Alberto Cañas Ruiz-Herrera Date of birth (1987-05-27) 27 May 1987 (age 29) Place of birth Jerez de la Frontera, Spain Similar Gojko Cimirot, Léo Matos, Diego Biseswar, Marin Leovac, Fernando Lopes dos Santos V | ||
José Alberto Cañas Ruiz-Herrera (born 27 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Greek club PAOK FC as a defensive midfielder.
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He started his career with Real Betis, joining the first team in 2009 and going on to appear in 72 official games, 51 in La Liga, over the course of three seasons, and spent 2013–14 in the Premier League with Swansea City.
Betis
A product of Real Betis' youth ranks, Cañas was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz. He made his first-team – and La Liga – debut on 3 May 2009, playing 83 minutes in a 0–2 home loss against Atlético Madrid. The Andalusians were ultimately relegated at the season's end.
Cañas was definitely promoted to Betis' main squad for 2010–11. He contributed with 15 games during the campaign (only four starts however) as the Verdiblancos returned to the top flight after two years, as champions, being a first-team regular in the following two seasons.
Swansea City
In April 2013, before the season in Spain was over, Cañas refused to renew his expiring contract with Betis, choosing instead to join Swansea City on a three-year deal. He made his debut on 1 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Malmö FF in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
Espanyol
On 1 September 2014, Cañas returned to his country and its top division, joining RCD Espanyol on a three-year contract on a free transfer. His first competitive appearance took place 13 days later, as he played the last ten minutes of a 1–3 defeat at Valencia CF.
During his tenure at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Cañas appeared in 48 games across all competitions. 2015–16 was marred by injury problems.
PAOK
On 11 July 2016, PAOK FC announced the signing of Cañas until the summer of 2019, for an undisclosed fee.
Personal life
Cañas' uncle, Juan José, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He too spent most of his professional career with Betis.