Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, known asMíchel (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈmitʃel]; born 30 October 1975), is a Spanish professionalfootballmanager and former player who played as amidfielder. He is the manager ofGirona.
In a 20-year senior career, he amassedLa Liga totals of 182 matches and 25 goals, adding 169 games and 18 goals in theSegunda División and playing mostly withRayo Vallecano (17 seasons, three spells).[2][3][4]
As a manager, Míchel led Rayo,Huesca andGirona in both top divisions, winning promotion with all three clubs including as champions with the first two.
After a loan toAlmería in theSegunda División,[5] Míchel returned to Rayo, being essential as the capital outskirts side finished ninth in1999–2000 andqualified for the subsequentUEFA Cup throughfair play.[6] Thefollowing campaign, he scored a career-best ten times in 33 games (all starts) as they ranked 14th; he added six goals in the UEFA Cup, in a run that ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of fellowLa Liga clubAlavés.[7][6]
Míchel moved in 2003 toReal Murcia for a€2,7 million fee, being relatively used in hisfirst year, which ended in top-division relegation. He appeared very rarely, however, in his final two seasons, which included a six-month loan spell withMálaga in2004–05, where he was also sparingly used.[8][9]
In July 2006, Míchel returned home and to Rayo, helping it return to the second tier in the2007–08 season. He continued to beteam captain[10] and, during the2010–11 campaign, still contributed two goals in 20 matches as they returned to the top flight after eight years.[11]
On 9 July 2012, after having appeared in only nine games as Rayoretained their league status – just 246 minutes of action – the 36-year-old Míchel retired from football, being immediately appointed coach of his main club's youth sides.[12] On 21 February 2017, he replacedRubén Baraja at the helm of the main squad,[13] debuting four days later with a 1–0 loss at neighboursGetafe via a last-minuteown goal byChechu Dorado;[14] the side eventually achieved promotion to the top division in the2017–18 campaign as champions.[15]
Míchel signed a new one-year contract with the option of a second, before2018–19 began.[16] He was dismissed on 18 March 2019 after seven consecutive defeats left theVallecas team six points inside the relegation zone;[17] he was replaced byPaco Jémez in an eventual relegation.[18]
On 9 July 2021, Míchel signed as coach ofGirona on a one-year deal with the option of a second year.[22] He achieved promotion in hisfirst season after a 3–1 win overTenerife in theplayoff final,[23] while also making thelast 16 of theCopa del Rey where theCatalans lost 2–1 at home to his former employers Rayo.[24]
Míchel signed a new contract on 19 May 2022, while his club's promotion was still uncertain; his new deal was to 2024.[25] They eventually achieved this inthe playoffs.[26]
In his spell as Girona manager, Michel was noted for utilising a low build-up style in a3–3–1–3 formation, with principles such as the goalkeeper playing as a center-back and a diamond midfield. He also deployed two wingers high and wide, and a striker pinning the stoppers to create space for the number-ten and inverted full-backs occupying the space left in the middle.[29]
