Manuel Alepuz Andrés

Manuel Alepuz Andrés (7 October 1917 – 13 August 2008) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for Valencia, and Espanyol between 1937 and 1942.

Career Born on 7 October 1917 in Burjassot, Alepuz began his football career in the youth ranks of his hometown club Burjassot CF, where he became a solid defender, helping his side reach the semifinals of the Spanish Amateur Championship in 1936, which ended in a 1–3 loss to Sevilla Amateur.

Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Alepuz played in the Superregional Championship with Levante and the Mediterranean League with , from which he joined Valencia, with whom he played three matches, including the final of the 1937 Copa de la España Libre at Les Corts on 18 July, which ended in a 1–0 loss to Levante. A few years later, Alepuz, now president of Levante, stated that he "would have liked to have been part of the Levante team who won the 1937 Cup, but back then, I was on the losing side".

In late 1937, Alepuz joined RCD Espanyol, with whom he only played a single official match in the Catalan Championship. Like so many other players, he was mobilized to the front lines in Lérida, participating in the Battle of the Ebro, the longest of the Civil War.

Alepuz then signed for back-to-back top-flight clubs, Castellón, with whom he played 60 official matches between 1943 and 1946, and Deportivo de La Coruña, with whom he played 38 official matches between 1946 and 1948, although he could not prevent relegation to the Second Division in 1947.

Managerial career After retiring, Alepuz remained linked to Levante, now as president, validating the players' contracts in August 1950. The following year, in 1951, he became the club's manager, but he did not finish the season due to poor results (4 losses in 6 matches), being then replaced by Guillermo Villagrá. He also took over the likes of Burgos, Rayo Vallecano, and Ontinyent.

Honours Valencia Copa del Rey: Runner-up (1): 1937

Valencia Championship: Champions (1): 1936–37