Quique Álvarez

Enrique "Quique" Álvarez Sanjuán (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkike ˈalβaɾeθ]; born 20 July 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Álvarez and the second or maternal family name is Sanjuán.
Quique Álvarez
Personal information
Full name Enrique Álvarez Sanjuán
Date of birth (1975-07-20) 20 July 1975
Place of birth Vigo, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
1992–1993 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1997 Barcelona B 78 (0)
1995–1998 Barcelona 1 (0)
1997–1998 → Logroñés (loan) 16 (0)
1998–2000 Lleida 75 (3)
2000–2007 Villarreal 188 (5)
2007–2009 Recreativo 12 (0)
Total 370 (8)
International career
1995 Spain U21 1 (0)
1997 Spain U23 2 (0)
Managerial career
2009–2015 Barcelona U19 (assistant)
2015–2017 Barcelona U18
2017–2018 Villarreal (assistant)
2019–2020 Villarreal (assistant)
2021 Alavés (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In a 16-year professional career he appeared in 370 games, 201 in La Liga. Having started his career at Barcelona, where he had no impact for its first team – one match – he would be an important member of Villarreal's top-flight consolidation, representing the club for seven years.

Playing career

Álvarez was born in Vigo, Galicia. Grown through the ranks of FC Barcelona, he played only one La Liga game for the Catalans in the 1995–96 season,[1] then spent one loan stint with CD Logroñés before being released,[2] after which he joined Barça neighbours UE Lleida (both teams were in the Segunda División).

Álvarez made a name for himself during his spell at Villarreal CF, where he was team captain when a starter. Having made 250 competitive appearances – second-most for the club behind Argentine Rodolfo Arruabarrena[3]– his role would diminish in the 2006–07 campaign however, as Villarreal finished fifth (only 15 matches).

In July 2007, Álvarez joined Recreativo de Huelva, where his season would be constantly bothered by injuries.[4] In one of his few league appearances, on 1 March 2008, he was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Real Madrid's Arjen Robben after just six minutes on the pitch (the former was brought on in the 64'), during a 2–3 home loss.[5] In 2008–09 he only took part in one league game for already doomed Recre, a 2–1 defeat at Sporting de Gijón in the last round,[6] and was subsequently released.

Coaching career

Retired at 34, Álvarez moved into coaching, starting with Barcelona's Juvenil A.[7] He returned to Villarreal on 26 September 2017, as part of his former teammate Javier Calleja's staff;[8] the pair were fired on 10 December 2018,[9] being reinstated the following 29 January after the dismissal of Luis García.[10][11]

Álvarez and Calleja later worked together at Deportivo Alavés.[12]

Personal life

Álvarez's father, Quique Costas, also a footballer and a defender, played professionally with RC Celta de Vigo and Barcelona. He later became a manager, coinciding with his son on one occasion.[13][14]

Álvarez's younger brother, Óscar, who occupied the same position, played mainly in the second and third tiers.[15]

Honours

Villarreal

References
  1. Domènech, Joan (4 September 1995). "Iván entra y el Barça gana" [Iván comes in and Barça win]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. Alacid, Jorge (27 July 1997). "La puerta sigue abierta" [Door remains open]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  3. "Quique Álvarez y Arruabarrena, historia viva del conjunto amarillo en Primera División" [Quique Álvarez and Arruabarrena, living history of yellow side in Primera División]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 23 June 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. "Quique Álvarez puede volver a jugar un año después" [Quique Álvarez may play again one year later]. Marca (in Spanish). 13 May 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  5. "Robben, otro mes de baja" [Robben, one more month out]. El País (in Spanish). 4 March 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  6. "Sporting Gijón 2–1 Recreativo Huelva". ESPN Soccernet. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  7. Artús, José Luis; Domènech, Oriol (27 July 2010). "Òscar entrenará al Juvenil A" [Òscar to coach Juvenil A]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  8. "Quique Álvarez, segundo de Calleja en el Villarreal" [Quique Álvarez, Calleja's assistant at Villarreal]. Sport (in Spanish). 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  9. Franch, Víctor; Whelan, Padraig (10 December 2018). "Villarreal sack coach Javi Calleja". Marca. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  10. "Javi Calleja vuelve al Villarreal" [Javi Calleja returns to Villarreal] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  11. Hurtado, José Luis; Munday, Billy (4 March 2020). "Who is the number two coach at each LaLiga Santander club?". Marca. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  12. "Calleja: "No tuve dudas para venir a Vitoria cuando recibí la propuesta"" [Calleja: "I had no doubts about coming to Vitoria when I got the offer"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 April 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  13. ""Será especial para Quique y los García Junyent reencontrarse"" ["To meet again will be special for Quique and the García Junyents"]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 12 March 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  14. "Quique Costas, el padre de todos" [Quique Costas, everyone's father] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  15. ""Quique" Álvarez Sanjuán" (in Spanish). Mitos Futbolísticos. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  16. "El Villarreal jugará la UEFA por primera vez en su historia" [Villarreal will play UEFA for the first time in their history]. Diario Córdoba (in Spanish). 27 August 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  17. "El Villarreal vuelve a la UEFA tras ganar la Intertoto" [Villarreal return to UEFA after winning the Intertoto]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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