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Miguel Pérez Cuesta (born 21 March 1986), known as Michu (), is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder. He is the current director of football of Burgos CF.
He started playing for Real Oviedo, subsequently representing Celta and Rayo Vallecano, making his La Liga debut with the latter in 2011–12. In 2012 he signed with Swansea City, scoring 22 goals in all competitions in his first season and winning the League Cup.
Despite performances that earned him an international debut for Spain in 2013, Michu fell out of favour at Swansea due to several injury problems, being loaned to SSC Napoli and released in November 2015. He appeared for UP Langreo and Oviedo before retiring.
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 CF, at home; in the second leg, however, he missed his penalty shootout attempt and his team was eliminated (5–4).
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), CA Osasuna (6–0, home) and Real Madrid, the latter albeit in a 6–2 away loss.
On his league debut on 18 August 2012, Michu scored twice and provided an assist for Scott Sinclair in a 5–0 away victory over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. The first of his goals was also the first scored in the new top-flight season, and he later described his debut as "incredible".
Michu stayed atop the scoring charts by netting the second in a 3–0 home defeat of West Ham United on 25 August, and the second in the 2–2 draw against Sunderland the following matchday.
Michu scored his first FA Cup goal on 6 January 2013, coming off the bench in an eventual 2–2 home draw against Arsenal in the third round and finding the net a mere 73 seconds after entering the pitch. He followed this with another in his team's 2–0 win at Chelsea in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
On 23 January 2013, Michu signed a new four-year contract. On 24 February he scored the second in a 5–0 victory over Bradford City to help the side to win the League Cup for the first time in their history, in what was his 19th official goal of the campaign. he was subsequently named the team's Player of the Year, as well as the supporters Player of the Year.
Michu scored Swansea's first goal of 2013–14 on 1 August 2013, in the club's 4–0 home win against Malmö FF in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. In the play-off tie against FC Petrolul Ploiești later that month, he netted the second in a 5–1 victory, also at home. However, injuries limited his impact for much of the season.
A recurrence of his ankle injury meant that Michu could only play six competitive matches for the Italians, and having not appeared for Swansea since April 2014, he was released on 9 November 2015 through a financial settlement, with his contract due to expire the following summer.
Michu officially announced his retirement from professional football on 25 July 2017 at the age of 31, due to the 'situation of his right ankle'. The previous week, he commented that he would like to stay connected with football.
Along with players such as Roque Santa Cruz and Amr Zaki, Michu was described as a 'one-season wonder' by sports outlets due to his performances in 2012–13 followed by his rapid decline thereafter.
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).
In October 2024, Michu named himself caretaker manager of Burgos in place of the sacked Bolo. His only match in charge was a 5–2 away win over CD Móstoles URJC in the first round of the Copa del Rey.
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.
Individual
International career
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.
Post-retirement
On 3 June 2018, Michu was appointed as director of football of Langreo, where his brother acted as head coach. He left the position on 3 April 2019, to become the technical secretary of Oviedo. In December that year, he agreed to terminate his contract to join Burgos CF in the former capacity.
Personal life
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.
Career statistics
Club
+ Club statistics Real Oviedo 2003–04 Tercera División 3 2004–05 Tercera División 6 2005–06 Segunda División B 3 2006–07 Segunda División B 4 Celta B 2007–08 Segunda División B 10 Celta 2007–08 Segunda División 1 2008–09 Segunda División 1 2009–10 Segunda División 8 2010–11 Segunda División 7 Rayo Vallecano 2011–12 La Liga 17 Swansea City 2012–13 Premier League 22 2013–14 Premier League 6 SSC Napoli (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 0 UP Langreo 2015–16 Tercera División 12 Real Oviedo 2016–17 Segunda División 3
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year Spain 0
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Burgos CF (caretaker) 29 October 2024 31 October 2024
Honours
Swansea City
External links
Categories: 1986 Births, Living People, 21st-century Spanish Sportsmen, Spanish Men's Footballers, Footballers From Oviedo, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Men's Association Football Forwards, La Liga Players, Segunda División Players, Segunda División B Players, Tercera División Players, Real Oviedo Players, Rc Celta Fortuna Players, Rc Celta De Vigo Players, Rayo Vallecano Players, Up Langreo Footballers, Premier League Players, Swansea City A.f.c. Players, Serie A Players, Ssc Napoli Players, Spain Men's International Footballers, Spanish Expatriate Men's Footballers, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Wales, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Italy, Spanish Expatriate Sportspeople In Wales, Spanish Expatriate Sportspeople In Italy, Spanish Football Managers, Burgos Cf Managers, Real Oviedo Non-playing Staff
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