Quique Sánchez Flores

Born in Madrid, Flores spent his first ten years as a senior with Valencia, starting in 1984–85. The club was relegated in his second season, and when it returned to La Liga in the 1987–88 campaign, finished 14th. However, from that point until 1994 the team never ranked lower than seventh, with him as first-choice. Flores moved to Real Madrid in summer 1994 on a four-year contract, and stayed with the capital side for two seasons, winning the league title in the first one but being deemed surplus to requirements early into the 1996 preseason after complaining to newly-arrived manager Fabio Capello of toenail pains. 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 the Segunda División, as Valencia won the championship, he posted career-highs with 40 matches and nine goals. Flores made 15 appearances for the Spain national team, and was included in the 1990 FIFA World Cup squad. On 23 September 1987, he debuted in a 2–0 friendly win against Luxembourg in Castellón de la Plana.

Beginnings

Flores began his coaching career in 2001 by taking charge of Real Madrid's youth teams. After earning plaudits during his three seasons with the youth teams, he caught the eye of the newly promoted Getafe, also in Madrid.

Valencia

After the 2004–05 campaign with Getafe, in which they finished in 13th place, Flores was given the opportunity to coach his former club Valencia, succeeding Claudio Ranieri. In his first year, he guided them to third place and thus qualified for the UEFA Champions League where the team went on to reach the quarter-finals, being knocked out by Chelsea. In May 2007, the Che achieved a top-four league finish and consequently a place in the next Champions League. On 29 October, however, the board of directors dismissed Flores after a string of poor results.

Benfica

Flores was appointed as manager of Benfica on 24 May 2008. On 8 June of the following year he left the Primeira Liga side by mutual consent, after a third place in the league and winning the domestic league cup.

Atlético Madrid

On 23 October 2009, Flores signed for Atlético Madrid following the dismissal of Abel Resino, penning a contract until 30 June 2010. At the end of the campaign, he led the team to the ninth position in the domestic competition, but also to two cup finals: the UEFA Europa League against Fulham (2–1 win) and the Copa del Rey, lost to Sevilla. Frequently clashing with star player Diego Forlán during 2010–11, Flores…

Flores is the nephew of flamenco singer and dancer Lola Flores. His father, Isidro, was also a footballer and a defender, and Alfredo Di Stéfano was his godfather. His brother and son, named Isidro and Enrique respectively, played football at lower levels. In 2025, Flores started a relationship with actress Blanca Romero.

Player

Valencia

Segunda División: 1986–87 Real Madrid

La Liga: 1994–95 Spain U21

UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1986

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 Al Ahli

UAE League Cup: 2011–12 UAE President's Cup: 2012–13 Al Ain

UAE President's Cup: 2013–14 Individual

Premier League Manager of the Month: December 2015