Míchel

The son of a footballer who had to retire from the game at 27 after a road accident, Míchel was born in Madrid and joined Real Madrid at the age of 13, his technique and physicality on the pitch quickly standing out. He moved quickly through the ranks to the first team, appearing – and scoring – once in the 1981–82 season, through a penalty in a 2–1 away win over Castellón on 11 April 1982. A member of the renowned La Quinta del Buitre, which also featured Emilio Butragueño, Miguel Pardeza, Rafael Martín Vázquez and Manolo Sanchís, Míchel never played less than 31 La Liga matches from 1985 to 1994. After helping Castilla to the Segunda División title in 1984, he was instrumental in the capital club's conquests, which included six leagues and two consecutive UEFA Cups; he opened the score in the 1985 final of the latter competition, against Videoton. In 1989, Míchel announced he would leave Real Madrid after having signed with an Italian side, but this never came to pass and he ended up staying until 1996. In his penultimate season, he suffered a severe knee injury which rendered him unavailable for several months, but still bounced back for a final solid year, after which he left for Atlético Celaya in Mexico – where Butragueño was also playing – shortly after the arrival at Madrid of president Lorenzo Sanz. He retired from football in 1997. Míchel's career was not without incident: in 1988, he was hit by a bottle while on the pitch and, three years later, he was sanctioned…

Míchel made his debut for the Spain national team on 20 November 1985 against Austria, going on to appear in a further 65 internationals and score 21 goals (only missed a callup due to injury). He played in the 1986 and the 1990 FIFA World Cups, netting a hat-trick against South Korea in Spain's second fixture during the latter tournament (3–1, famously shouting "I've earned this" after his last goal) and also a penalty against Belgium in the country's final group match. Shortly after Javier Clemente's arrival as national boss, Míchel was deemed surplus to requirements and never called again, although only 29. All national categories comprised, he received exactly 100 caps.

Míchel was best known for his stellar crossing ability, also contributing a fair share of goals. He was Real Madrid's all-time leading assist provider for several years.

In the summer of 2005, after working as a sports commentator with RTVE after his retirement (still active, he had already worked in the capacity at the 1994 World Cup) and also writing articles for Madrid's Marca, Míchel was appointed manager of Rayo Vallecano. The following year he returned to his alma mater as director of Real Madrid's sports city, the entire youth system, and manager duties at Real Madrid Castilla, where he coached one of his sons, Adrián; under his management, the side dropped down a level into Segunda División B and he was sacked, also leaving his post in the youth sides due to disagreements with president Ramón Calderón. On 27 April 2009, Míchel was appointed as coach of top-flight strugglers Getafe until the end of the season. He replaced former Barcelona midfielder Víctor Muñoz, and also managed Adrián, helping the club avoid relegation in the last matchday and renewing his contract for two more years the following week. He was relieved of his duties at the end of 2010–11, with the team again managing to stay afloat after finishing 16th, just one point clear of the relegation zone. Míchel joined Sevilla on 6 February 2012, replacing the fired Marcelino García Toral and signing until the end of the season. On 14 January of the following year, after a 2–0 away loss to Valencia that left the Andalusians in 12th place, he was relieved of his duties. Míchel moved to Olympiacos in the Super League Greece on 1 February 2013, on a contract until June 2015.…