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José Antonio Reyes Calderón (born September 1, 1983 in Utrera) is a Spanish footballer. He can play either as a support striker, often partnered with Thierry Henry, or as a left winger; he was used in the latter role for much of the 2005-06 season.

Reyes signed for the Arsenal football club during the January transfer window of the 2003-2004 season from Sevilla for a club record of £17.5 million. He got off to a disappointing start with an own goal against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup. However he scored twice against Chelsea to knock them out of the FA Cup, then scored a UEFA Champions League goal and consecutive goals in the penultimate two games of the season, which kept Arsenal's unbeaten run going.

Hat-tricks in friendlies during the summer showed an improvement and he was a prominent influence on Arsenal's impressive start to the 2004-2005 season, in which he managed to score in first 6 games consecutively. However he struggled during the middle of the season after Arsenal FC's defeat by the Manchester United side at Old Trafford in 2004. His inconsistent performances brought little reward for much of the season, and yet towards the end of this season he has scored 3 valuable goals in something of a renaissance. Reyes has also played for Spain. On May 21, 2005 Reyes became only the second player in history, after Kevin Moran, to be sent off in an FA Cup final after he was dismissed for a second yellow card. Reyes continued in a similar vein in the 2005-2006 season, but has generally received praise for his gradually improving performances.

He was also reported to have been homesick while at Arsenal and during a prank call perpetrated by COPE Radio of Spain in February 2005, a prankster claiming to be the supremo of Real Madrid reportedly called Reyes' agent and spoke to Reyes himself about a possible transfer to the Spanish giants. In the ensuing conversation, Reyes allegedly declared that life in London was far from what he has envisioned and he would not discount a welcoming move back to his native Spain and to play for the Madrid team. To rub salt to the wound, Reyes also supposedly said that he wanted out of the club as there were 'bad people' at Arsenal. He may have been referring to his French team-mates Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira who demanded commitment in performances for Arsenal and both of them were known to have stared coldly at Reyes in admonishment whenever he botched a lovely set-piece or was apparently selfish in front of goal. However, he ended speculation about a move away from Highbury in July 2005 when he signed a new six year contract and declared that he was 'looking forward to having many more successful years at the club.'

His relationship with Henry may also have been soured when the Spain coach Luis Aragonés, attempting to motivate Reyes during a training session, allegedly told Reyes that he was "better than that black shit Henry". Their on-pitch behaviour towards each other, however, has indicated that they have patched up their differences. Reyes currently has 16 caps and 4 goals. He is not a regular starter for the national team, however, as Aragonés prefers Fernando Torres, David Villa, and Luis García up front.

In Arsenal's 2005/06 UEFA Champions League run Reyes has featured heavily. He has featured against Real Madrid, Juventus and Villareal among others in impressive Arsenal victories to date. He came on as a substitute in the show-piece final on May 17th 2006 against Spanish champions Barcelona, which Arsenal lost 2-1.

Reyes has also went down the pecking order of Spain before the World Cup in Germany behind David Villa, due to the latter's scoring record.

Reyes has again recently been linked to Real Madrid, along with Arsenal team-mate Cesc Fabregas, with one of their of presidential candidates claiming he would sign them if elected.

Career stats

(correct as of 1 April 2006)

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sevilla FC	1999-0	33	1	?	-	-	-	-	33	1
	2000-1	1	-	?	-	-	-	-	1	-
	2001-2	29	8	?	-	-	-	-	29	8
	2002-3	34	8	?	-	-	-	-	34	8
	2003-4	21	5	?	-	-	-	-	21	5
	All								118	22
Arsenal	2003-04	13	2	1	4	2	4	1	21	5
	2004-05	30	9	10	7	2	8	1	45	12
	2005-06	21	5	14	6	1	9	-	36	4
	All								102	21
All									220	43

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