Panini America - 2018 Panini Treble Soccer (04) - Quini (FC Barcelona)

2018
2018 Panini Treble Soccer
Panini America
200 base cards

The name of Quini in the list of Treble cards may come as a surprise to many collectors. Enrique Castro González, known as Quini, started his football career at amateur club CD Ensidesa but moved to Sporting Gijón after just one season. Sporting were in the Segunda División at the time but won promotion to La Liga in 1970. He spent 12 season there, scoring 243 goals in 421 games but in the summer of 1980 he was transferred to FC Barcelona where he spent four season scoring 77 goals in 142 games and decided to retire in 1984. But he changed his mind and returned to Sporting Gijón for three more seasons. Overall he scored 369 goals in 686 competitive club fixtures. He also played 35 times for Spain between 1970 and 1982, scoring 8 goals and appeared at the World Cup tournaments in 1978 and 1982 as well as Euro 80.
On 1 March 1981, after scoring twice for Barcelona in a 6–0 home win against Hércules CF, Quini was driving to the airport to pick up his wife and family when he pulled into a petrol station. A van pulled up behind him, two men got out and forced him back into his card and making him drive off. The van followed and he was eventually transferred to the van. Quini was held in a lock-up in Zaragoza for 25 days before being rescued. During this time, Barcelona could only amass one draw in four games, eventually losing the title race. The three kidnappers were sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay him 5m pesetas. He refused the money and refused to press charges. “It wasn’t that uncomfortable, if you knew how to move into the right position,” he said. “One day they brought me down a copy of Marca so that I could see the football results and in the end they gave me a television and everything. And a chess set. I played on my own, but I like playing on my own. My kidnappers are good people who did me no harm; I forgive them,” Quini said.
In January of 2018, Panini held a signing session with Quini, which was the first time he had signed with any trading card company! In February, Quini unexpectedly passed away having suffered a heart attack. These cards will serve as his first and only certified autographs.
I don't have images of the autographed Quini cards in this new collection, he didn't appear in the Panini album for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina but he was included in the Europa 80 collection and Espana 82.

Local Legends  #/199 or less
PARALLEL: Local Legends - Red  #/99 or less
PARALLEL: Local Legends - Gold  #/25 or less
PARALLEL: Local Legends - Platinum  1/1

28.  Quini (FC Barcelona)

First Ink  #/199
PARALLEL: First Ink - Red  #/50
PARALLEL: First Ink - Gold  #/25
PARALLEL: First Ink - Platinum  1/1

3.  Quini (FC Barcelona)

World Cup Sticker Signatures

22.  Quini (Spain)