Enrique Buqué

Enrique Buqué Rojals (24 November 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Spanish football player and manager.

A midfielder, whose technical ability compensated for a lack of pace,

As a manager, Buqué led Valencia to the cup final in 1970 alongside Salvador Artigas, but was not retained in his role. He also helped Sevilla avoid relegation from the Segunda División in 1974.

Playing career Buqué was born in the El Clot neighbourhood in the centre of Barcelona. He began his career with local club CD San Andrés (now UE Sant Andreu) before joining Valencia CF in 1951. In his first season, he scored twice in a run to the 1952 Copa del Generalísimo final, which his team lost 4–2 to CF Barcelona after extra time.

In the 1954–55 La Liga, Buqué recorded a top-flight career-best of 10 goals in 25 games, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over Barcelona on 17 October.

Buqué was known for lacking speed, and the expression "slower than Buqué" entered the Spanish language; he accepted it in good humour. Once, a taxi driver insulted another motorist by calling him slower than Buqué, only for his passenger to introduce himself as Buqué.

Managerial career Buqué managed CD Abarán in the 1964–65 Segunda División, in which the team were relegated. A year earlier, the club from the Region of Murcia had become the first team from a town of under 10,000 inhabitants to play in the Segunda División.

On 15 August 1969, Valencia sacked manager Joseíto and hired Buqué. In his first game as a top-flight manager four days later, he won 3–0 at RCD Mallorca; he was joint manager with Salvador Artigas. Valencia's board had already agreed to replace Buqué and Artigas with Alfredo Di Stéfano for the new season, shocking the pair who had believed that their results would keep them in their job. In May 1974, after the dismissals of Happel and Santos Bedoya, he was put in charge for the final three games of the season. His team avoided the relegation playoffs on the final day at the expense of nearby Córdoba CF, by winning 5–0 away to fellow Andalusians Linares CF on 26 May.

Personal life Buqué settled in the city of Valencia, where he had three daughters and a son.