SUMMARY
- Girona FC's manager, Michel, is a former Spanish soccer player, specializing in left midfield.
- In the 2023-24 season, he's been phenomenal for Girona FC in La Liga, currently 2nd alongside Real Madrid.
Girona FC’s manager, Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, frequently referred to as Michel is a former Spanish soccer player who specialized in left midfield. He has been doing wonders for the Spanish minnows, Girona FC in the La Liga this 2023-24 season. They are performing above expectations this season and are currently in 2nd place level on points with Real Madrid FC.
However, Miguel Angel Sanchez Munoz, a 47-year-old Madrid coach who is drawing attention with his lively offensive football style, is the mastermind behind this accomplishment. In his initial season as manager at the Estadi Montilivi, Michel guided Girona to promotion and also earned a contract extension with a $273,000-a-week deal.
Guys, I was dead wrong. 🙏🏽
Toughest stretch of games for Girona and check out those results! 👀
D v Athletic
W v Valencia
W v Barcelona
W v Alaves
D v Betis
W v Atleti15 (!!!) goals scored, 8 allowed
Michel, manager of the season no matter where they finish. 👏🏽 https://t.co/z4as9TjmXT
— Michael (@LaLigaMichael) January 3, 2024
After finishing sixth in the regular season and making it through the 2021–22 Segunda playoffs, Michel achieved a 10th-place finish the following year. With this team now in second place under the coach, European qualification is very much a possibility.
To Michel’s credit, it is a collaborative effort. Girona lost several key players in the summer, including Rodrigo Riquelme, Oriol Romeu, and Taty Castellanos, but Quique Carcel’s sporting department made good hires, and Michel prepared an excellent squad with the new factors.
Michel’s coaching career:
Michel isn’t going to take his achievements for granted. The only other two clubs Michel has led during his managerial career are Rayo Vallecano and Huesca, both of which he managed to promotion to the first level of Spanish football. However, both of those clubs suffered relegation the following season, and Michel was fired before the season ended.
Before the 2018–19 season started with Rayo, Míchel inked a one-year contract with an option of a second. On March 18, 2019, he was fired by the Vallecas club due to seven straight losses that put them six points below the relegation zone. Paco Jémez took his place as the team was demoted.
Míchel: “Our aim this season is Europe”https://t.co/rTySJD29Ns
— Get Spanish Football News (@GSpanishFN) January 2, 2024
Míchel was appointed coach of SD Huesca on June 1, 2019, after the team had been relegated to the second tier. He and his team were promoted once more, this time to the top division. After the season finished disappointingly, Míchel had been relieved of his position on January 12, 2021, with the team ranked last.
Michel’s time as a professional soccer player:
He played primarily with Rayo Vallecano (17 seasons, three spells), collecting 169 games and 18 goals in the Segunda División throughout his 20-year senior career. He also earned La Liga totals of 182 matches and 25 goals.
Madrid was Míchel’s birthplace. He was part of Rayo Vallecano’s development system and made his first team debut in the 1993–94 season. He then spent the next two seasons rotating between the main team and the reserves.
El nieto de la María.
El hijo de la frutera.
El de las casas bajas.Míchel, el del barrio de Vallecas. #UniversoValdano pic.twitter.com/zlj8AXIcZ1
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) November 20, 2023
After being utilized little in his first season, which resulted in top-division relegation, Míchel transferred to Real Murcia in 2003 for a sum of €2,7 million. Nevertheless, he made relatively few appearances in his final two seasons, which included a loan stint of six months with Málaga CF in 2004–05, where he was also used extremely infrequently.