José Escalante

José Alberto Escalante Rápalo (born 29 May 1995) is a Honduran former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Olimpia
Escalante began his career with Olimpia, spending time on loan with Honduran side Honduras Progreso in 2014 and American United Soccer League side Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in 2016. On 3 August 2016, Escalante joined Houston Dynamo on loan from Rio Grande Valley until the end of the 2016 season, returning to the Dynamo on 20 January 2017 on a 12-month loan deal from Olympia.

Juticalpa
On 7 January 2019, Escalante returned to Honduras and signed with Juticalpa. That year, he made eleven appearances in the Clausura.

Cavalry FC
On 10 April 2019, Escalante signed with Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC. That season, he made 22 league appearances, scoring four goals, made six appearances in the Canadian Championship and played in both legs of the Canadian Premier League Finals.

On 12 February 2020, Escalante re-signed with Cavalry for the 2020 season, however he was unable to join the team for the shortened campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing his entry into Canada. On 9 September 2020, Escalante was loaned to Honduran side Vida. In November 2020, Escalante would re-sign with the club for the 2021 season, his third season with the club. In January 2022, Cavalry announced that they had re-signed Escalante for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with an option for 2024.

In June 2023, Escalante would make his 100th appearance for the club, becoming the second player to hit that milestone.

Loans in Honduras
In June 2023, F.C. Motagua had announced that they had signed Escalante, however Cavalry would state that Escalante was still under contract with the club, stating he had taken a leave of absence from the club to be closer to family. A few weeks later, Cavalry would announce that Escalante would sign a one year loan with Motagua.

In January 2024, he was loaned to Honduran second tier Honduran Liga Nacional de Ascenso side Atlético Independiente.

In June 2024, he announced his retirement.

International career
Escalante first played for the Honduran U-17 team at the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, making five appearances in the tournament, including three starts.

Escalante first played for the Honduran U-20 team at the 2013 Central American Games. The following year, he was called up for the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, an U-21 tournament. He subsequently received another call-up for the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where he made three appearances and helped Honduras qualify for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. At the U-20 World Cup, Escalante started in all three games for Honduras.

Honours
Calvary
 * Canadian Premier League Finals runner-up: 2019
 * Canadian Premier League (regular season): Spring 2019, Fall 2019