# José Cañas

José Alberto Cañas Ruiz-Herrera (born 27 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Gibraltar Football League club Manchester 62 as a defensive midfielder.
He started his career with Real Betis, joining the first team in 2009 and going on to make 72 official appearances, 51 in La Liga, over three seasons, and spent 2013–14 in the Premier League with Swansea City.

## Club career
### Betis

A product of Real Betis' youth ranks, Cañas was born in Rota, 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 15 games during the campaign (only four starts however) as the club returned to the top flight after two years as champions, being a regular 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 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 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 3–1 defeat at Valencia.
During his tenure at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Cañas appeared in 48 games in all competitions. 2015–16 was marred by injury problems.

### PAOK

On 11 July 2016, PAOK announced the signing of Cañas until summer 2019, for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal as a professional on 2 April 2017, in a 2–0 home win against Athlitiki Enosi Larissa.
Cañas was part of the squad that won the Greek Cup three times in a row, totaling 16 matches and two goals in these achievements. He also helped to claim the 2018–19 edition of the Super League, helping with 14 appearances but all but being absent from the lineups in the second part of the season due to a hip injury.

### Red Star

Cañas joined Red Star as a free agent in late June 2019, agreeing to a two-year contract. He made his debut under coach Vladan Milojević in a friendly on 1 July with Blau-Weiß Linz, which was won 3–1. When his new team qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, he was among the players who celebrated riding around Belgrade in an armored vehicle.

### Later career

In March 2021, Cañas returned to his country and signed a short-term deal with Atlético Baleares in the Segunda División B. He left at the end of the season, even though the club tried hard to convince him to renew his link.
In August 2021, the 34-year-old Cañas agreed to a one-year contract with Ionikos in a return to the Greek top tier. Two years later, he remained in the country by joining Super League 2 side Kalamata.
Cañas moved to the Gibraltar Football League on 30 August 2024, signing for Manchester 62.

## Personal life

Cañas' uncle, Juan José, was also a footballer and a midfielder. He too spent most of his professional career with Betis.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 15 May 2022
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Betis | 2008–09 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Betis | 2010–11 | Segunda División | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 |
| Betis | 2011–12 | La Liga | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 |
| Betis | 2012–13 | La Liga | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 |
| Betis | Total | Total | 66 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 70 | 0 |
| Swansea City | 2013–14 | Premier League | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Espanyol | 2014–15 | La Liga | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 |
| Espanyol | 2015–16 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| Espanyol | Total | Total | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 48 | 0 |
| PAOK | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 27 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| PAOK | 2017–18 | Super League Greece | 15 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| PAOK | 2018–19 | Super League Greece | 14 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 2 |
| PAOK | Total | Total | 56 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 91 | 4 |
| Red Star | 2019–20 | Serbian SuperLiga | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Atlético Baleares | 2020–21 | Segunda División B | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Ionikos | 2021–22 | Super League Greece | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 230 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 300 | 7 |
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

## Honours

PAOK
* Super League Greece: 2018–19
* Greek Football Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
Red Star
* Serbian SuperLiga: 2019–20