As a player, he was nicknamedEl Maestro, and was best known for his two spells withRacing de Santander, starting and finishing his 19-year professional career at the club. Over 15 seasons inLa Liga, he played 374 matches and scored 58 goals.[4] He also won three internationalcaps forSpain.
Setién started a managerial career in 2001, going on to coach several teams including Racing. Starting in January 2020, he was in charge ofBarcelona for seven months, being dismissed following an8–2 loss against Bayern Munich in theUEFA Champions League.
Born inSantander, Setién made hisLa Liga debut in 1977, with his hometown clubRacing de Santander.[5] During his first spell with theCantabrians, although he played regularly, he was not yet a regular starter, and he missed the entire1982–83 season[6] as well as being relegated twice.[7]
Afterwards, Setién representedAtlético Madrid for three years.[8] He enjoyed a good first two seasons,[9] but appeared rarely inhis last after some spats with elusive club chairmanJesús Gil.[10][11]
Setién then moved toLogroñés in 1988 where, after a slow start, he was essential in helping theRiojans retain their top-tier status. The 34-year-old returned to Racing in 1992, and scored a career-best 11 goals in the first year in his second spell as the sidereturned to the top flight. He played three more years with the latter, and retired in June 1996 at nearly 38 after featuring forLevante in theSegunda División B play-offs, which alsoended in promotion.[12]
In 2001, Setién was voted by Racing's fans as their best player of all time.[13] He appeared in almost 600 official matches in nearly two decades of play, totalling 95 league goals.[14]
Setién appeared three times forSpain and was selected for the1986 FIFA World Cup squad, but did not leave the bench during the tournament in Mexico.[15] His debut came on 20 November 1985 in a 0–0friendly withAustria, inZaragoza.[16]
Setién began working as a manager on 5 October 2001, succeeding the dismissedGustavo Benítez at a Racing side that had started poorly following relegation toSegunda División.[17] He took the team from 17th topromotion as runners-up to Atlético, but left at the end of the season due to pressure and handed the reins to his former teammateManuel Preciado.[13][18]
For the2003–04 campaign, Setién returned to the second division withPolideportivo Ejido. He was dismissed on 17 November, with the team in the relegation zone.[19]
In 2005, Setién was appointed assistant coach to theRussia national beach soccer team.[20] For three months during the following year, he was in charge ofEquatorial Guinea.[21] After that he moved to another team he played for, Logroñes in division three, being relieved of his duties midway through the2007–08 campaign.[22]
On 19 October 2015, following the dismissal ofPaco Herrera, Setién became the new manager ofLas Palmas in the top flight.[28] He arrived with them in the relegation zone, and led them to 11th place in hisfirst season.[29]
On 18 March 2017, Setién announced that he would leave theCanary Islands club at the end ofthe campaign due to disputes with the board.[30]
Setién was linked with a move toBarcelona in January 2019,[33] but it did not materialise. On 19 May, he announced that he would leave theEstadio Benito Villamarín.[34]
Setién signed as head coach of Barcelona on 13 January 2020, replacing the dismissedErnesto Valverde on a contract lasting to June 2022.[35][36][37] In his first match in charge, six days later, he managed a 1–0 home victory overGranada.[38]
The team eventually finished the domestic league insecond position, behindReal Madrid. On 14 August 2020, they lost8–2 toBayern Munich in thequarter-finals of theUEFA Champions League,[39] which was the first time in 74 years that the club had conceded eight goals in a game;[40] it was also the first loss by a six-goal margin since 1951.[41] He was officially dismissed three days later,[42] subsequently confirming he would take legal action, as he felt the terms of his contract were not respected.[43]
On 10 December 2024, Setién was appointed atBeijing Guoan of theChinese Super League.[47] He won Manager of the Month accolades in May and June 2025, but his team's form declined towards the end of his spell, notably losing 6–0 atShandong Taishan which was an all-time worst for the club. He oversaw 32 matches with 17 wins, nine draws and six defeats, and on 5 October resigned for personal reasons, thanking the entire organisation through a farewell message.[48][49][50]
Setién's son,Laro, is also a footballer and a midfielder.[51] His father-in-law José Antonio Lozano played in the Spanish second tier in the early 1960s, and all three relatives represented Racing Santander.[52] In addition to his native Spanish, he also speaks English and Italian.[33]
Setién is a keenchess player with aFIDE rating of 1965.[53][54] He played matches against formerworld championsGarry Kasparov andAnatoly Karpov, the results of which were not made public.[55] He mentioned the game as an influence on his football tactics, which prioritised possession and midfield domination.[56]
Before being Barcelona manager, Setién lived inLiencres [es], 9 km west of Santander, where there are a lot of cows; hence, he commented: "Yesterday I was walking past cows in my home town; today I was at Barcelona's training ground coaching the best players in the world, an enormous club".[57] In April 2020, in an interview withTV3, he talked about winning La Liga and Champions League titles, when he said: "If it can be both, better. And of course I have dreamed of walking around Liencres with the cows while holding up the Champions League trophy and showing it to them."[58]
^Belmonte, Diego (29 October 2018)."Quique Setién, cara a cara ante el equipo de su vida" [Quique Setién, face to face with his beloved team] (in Spanish). El Córner del Sur. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved7 March 2020.
^García, Dioni (6 April 2011)."A la caza del Levante" [Out to get Levante].La Opinión de Murcia (in Spanish). Retrieved7 March 2020.
^abSámano, José (20 May 2002)."Quique Setién, el bien aparecido" [Quique Setién, patron saint of Cantabria].El País (in Spanish). Retrieved18 February 2020.
^Calleja, Tono (30 October 2006)."Guinea Ecuatorial busca su Eto'o" [Equatorial Guinea in search of their Eto'o].El País (in Spanish). Retrieved15 March 2017.
^"北京国安官方：前巴萨主帅塞蒂恩执教球队" [Beijing Guoan official: Former Barcelona manager Setién will coach the team] (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 10 December 2024. Retrieved10 December 2024.
^"官方：国安主帅塞蒂恩辞职，不再担任一线队主教练职务" [Official: Guoan coach Setién resigns and no longer serves as head coach of the first team] (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 5 October 2025. Retrieved6 October 2025.
^"北京国安官宣：塞蒂恩"下课"" [Beijing Guoan officially announced: Setién is "dismissed"].Beijing Daily (in Chinese). 5 October 2025. Retrieved6 October 2025.
^"确认离开北京国安足球俱乐部后，塞蒂恩发文告别" [After confirming his departure from Beijing Guoan Football Club, Setién sent a farewell message] (in Chinese).Sina Corporation. 6 October 2025. Retrieved6 October 2025.
^"中超官方：国安主帅塞蒂恩当选月度最佳教练，5月率队联赛3胜1平" [Chinese Super League official: Guoan coach Setién was elected best coach of the month, leading the team to 3 wins and 1 draw in the league in May] (in Chinese).163.com. 21 June 2025. Retrieved21 June 2025.
^"塞蒂安当选6月最佳教练" [Setién named coach of the month for June] (in Chinese).Sohu. 17 July 2025. Retrieved21 July 2025.
