Miguel Pérez Cuesta

Oviedo and Celta

Michu was born in Oviedo, Asturias. After beginning with local Real Oviedo in the lower leagues, he moved to Celta B of Segunda División B in the middle of 2007; midway through his first season he received his maiden first-team call-up, eventually finishing in the starting XI of the Segunda División side. In mid-January 2010, a transfer to La Liga with Sporting de Gijón in order to replace Birmingham City-bound Míchel was almost arranged, but it eventually fell through and Michu stayed at Celta. In his last two second-tier campaigns, he totalled 12 goals for the Galicians. On 8 June 2011, after helping the club to sixth position in the regular season, Michu netted the game's only goal in the first leg of the promotion play-offs against Granada, at home; in the second leg, however, he missed his penalty shootout attempt and his team was eliminated (5–4).

Rayo Vallecano

On 27 July 2011, after his contract with Celta expired, Michu signed a two-year deal with Rayo Vallecano, newly promoted to the top division. He made his debut in the competition on 28 August, in a 1–1 away draw with Athletic Bilbao. Michu was one of the best national scorers in his first season (joint-ninth overall, best in the midfielder position), notably scoring braces against Real Sociedad (4–0 home win), Racing de Santander (4–2, home), Osasuna (6–0, home) and Real Madrid, the latter albeit in a 6–2 away loss.

Swansea City

On 20 July 2012, Michu signed a…

On 22 December 2012, courtesy of his performances with Swansea, Vicente del Bosque said that Michu would play for Spain for the first time in a friendly with Uruguay on 6 February of the following year. However, he did not make the final squad for that match. Michu was finally called up to the national team on 6 October 2013, as a replacement for the injured David Villa. He made his debut five days later, starting in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belarus in Palma de Mallorca (2–1 win).

Club

International

In November 2012, along with fellow Premier League stars Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, Michu bought shares in former club Oviedo as they struggled to raise €2 million to stay afloat in the Spanish third division. He spoke to the official Swansea website about his love for his former club and the decision saying, "It's my local club, a club I love, so I hope it will be enough." In 2022, he stated that he was still struggling with chronic pain after retirement, claiming that his 'ankle is that of a 90-year-old' despite undergoing several surgeries. Michu's older brother Hernán was also a footballer. A midfielder, he too was developed at Oviedo before playing for local sides and subsequently switching to a managerial role; both worked together at Langreo in 2015–16.