José Contreras

José David Contreras Verna made his way up through Venezuelan football at Zamora FC before moving to Aragua FC. His breakthrough came at Deportivo Táchira, which he joined in 2013 and where he spent the bulk of his career. He was part of the squad that won the Venezuelan Primera División title in the 2014–2015 season.

Midway through his spell at Táchira, Contreras was loaned to Châteauroux in the French second division for the 2018–2019 campaign, where he also featured for the reserve side before returning to Venezuela. Back at Táchira, he was named Best Goalkeeper of the Liga FUTVE season in 2020 by the 'Premios El Mundo es un Balón' awards.

He left Táchira in 2021 and took his career abroad, playing for Deportivo Pasto in Colombia before a spell with Deportiva San Carlos in Costa Rica. A move to Águilas Doradas in 2022 proved significant: over more than two years with the Colombian club, Contreras played in the Copa Libertadores and built a reputation for penalty-saving, including a standout display against América de Cali in the Copa Colombia. In January 2025 he signed for Barcelona SC as a free agent.

At international level, Contreras made his senior debut for Venezuela in a friendly against Costa Rica in February 2016. He has gone on to earn caps for the national side, including a place in the squad for the Copa América 2024.