Quique Sánchez Flores

Quique Sánchez Flores

Personal information
Full name	Enrique Sánchez Flores
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Right back
Youth career
	Pegaso Tres Cantos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1984–1994	Valencia	272	(23)
1994–1996	Real Madrid	63	(2)
1996–1997	Zaragoza	9	(0)
Total		335	(25)
International career
1982–1983	Spain U18	9	(0)
1984–1986	Spain U21	13	(0)
1986–1987	Spain U23	2	(0)
1987–1991	Spain	15	(0)
Managerial career
2001–2004	Real Madrid (youth)
2004–2005	Getafe
2005–2007	Valencia
2008–2009	Benfica
2009–2011	Atlético Madrid
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Template:Spanish name 2 Enrique "Quique" Sánchez Flores (born 5 February 1965 in Madrid) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right defender, and a current manager.

During his 13-year professional career, he played mainly for Valencia (ten seasons, nine in La Liga), retiring in 1997 and going on to have a lengthy managerial career, which included his main club.

Sánchez Flores represented Spain at the 1990 World Cup.

Playing career

During his playing career, Sánchez Flores spent ten seasons with Valencia, starting in 1984–85. However, at first, he did not enjoy his time at the Estadio Mestalla as the club were relegated in his second season, and when they got back into La Liga, finished 14th in 1987–88. However, from that point until 1994, the team never finished lower than 7th, with Sánchez as an everpresent fixture.

In 1994, Sánchez Flores moved to Real Madrid and stayed with the capital club for two seasons, winning the league title in the first one. Subsequently, he had a brief spell with Real Zaragoza, retiring from professional football at the age of 32, with Spanish top flight totals of 304 games and 16 goals; in his only season in Segunda División, as Valencia won the championship in 1987, he posted career-highs with 40 games and nine goals.

He made 15 appearances for the Spanish national team, and was selected to the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad. His debut came on 23 September 1987, in a 2–0 friendly win over Luxembourg, in Gijón.

Coaching career

Sánchez Flores followed in the footsteps of one of his predecessors at Valencia, Rafael Benítez, by taking charge of Real Madrid's youth teams. After winning plaudits during his time there, he was approached about the manager's job at newly-promoted top flight club Getafe, also in Madrid.

After an impressive 2004–05 season with Getafe, which managed to finish a respectable 13th place, Sánchez was given the opportunity to coach former club Valencia, succeeding Claudio Ranieri. In his first season, he guided the club to the third place, with the subsequent UEFA Champions League qualification, where Valencia reached the quarter-finals, being knocked out by Chelsea. In May 2007, the Che guaranteed a top-four league finish, and consequently a place in the next Champions League.

On 29 October 2007, the Valencia board of directors fired Flores after a string of average results with poor performances. He was appointed as manager of S.L. Benfica on 24 May 2008.

On 8 June 2009, Flores left Benfica through contractual termination, after a third place in the league and winning the domestic league cup. On 23 October, he was appointed at Atlético Madrid following the sacking of Abel Resino. signing a contract until 30 June 2010.

At the end of the 2009–10 campaign, Flores led Atlético to the 9th position in the domestic competition, but also to two cup finals: the UEFA Europa League against Fulham (2–1 win) and the Spanish Cup, lost to Sevilla FC.

Frequently clashing with star striker Diego Forlán during 2010–11, Flores announced his departure from Atético Madrid before the season ended, with the team finally qualifying to the Europa League. In early May 2011, he was linked with a move to FC Spartak Moscow.

Honours

Player

• Valencia:
  • Segunda División: 1986–87

• Real Madrid:
  • La Liga: 1994–95

Manager

• Benfica:
  • Taça da Liga: 2008–09

• Atlético Madrid:
  • UEFA Europa League: 2009–10
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2010
  • Copa del Rey: Runner-up 2009–10

Managerial statistics

correct as of 21 May 2011

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/−	Win %
Valencia		31 May 2005	29 October 2007	110	57	24	29	169	111	+58	051.82
Benfica		24 May 2008	8 June 2009	44	25	9	10	73	47	+26	056.82
Atlético Madrid		23 October 2009	22 May 2011	102	42	23	37	164	135	+29	041.18

Personal life

• Flores is the nephew of Flamenco singer-dancer Lola Flores.

• His father, Isidro Sánchez García-Figueras, was also and footballer and a defender. He played for Real Betis, Real Madrid and CE Sabadell FC, winning four leagues in a row for the second.

External links

• BDFutbol player profile
• BDFutbol coach profile
• National team data Template:Es icon
• International appearances; at RSSSF