Rubén Baraja Vegas (Spanish pronunciation: [ruˈβem baˈɾaxa]; born 11 July 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer, and a current manager. A complete central midfielder with good tackling, technique, and offensive qualities, together with accurate passing and goalscoring ability, he played mostly for Valencia during a 17-year professional career, being an essential figure in five of the club's major titles, which included two La Liga championships.