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Template:Spanish name

Michu
Personal information
Full name Miguel Pérez Cuesta
Date of birth (1986-03-21) 21 March 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Oviedo, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder / Striker
Team information
Current team
 Swansea City
Number 9
Youth career
Oviedo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Oviedo 100 (13)
2007–2008 Celta B 28 (10)
2008–2011 Celta 101 (14)
2011–2012 Rayo Vallecano 37 (15)
2012– Swansea City 28 (15)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 March 2013

Miguel Pérez Cuesta (born 21 March 1986), commonly known as Michu, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Swansea City in the Premier League as an attacking midfielder or striker.

He started playing for Oviedo, subsequently representing Celta and Rayo Vallecano, making his La Liga debuts with the latter in 2011–12.

Club career

Oviedo / Celta

Michu was born in Oviedo, Asturias. He began his career with local club Real Oviedo in the lower leagues as a youth and was a regular first team player between 2003 and 2007. At the end of the 2006–07 season he moved to Celta de Vigo B in Segunda División B. Midway through his first season, he received a call-up to the senior Celta de Vigo team, finishing the season in the starting XI of the Segunda División outfit.

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.[2] In his last two second level seasons combined, he scored 12 goals for the Galicians.

On 8 June 2011, after helping the club to the sixth position in the regular season, Michu netted the game's only goal in the first leg of the promotion playoffs against Granada CF, at home;[3] in the second leg, however, he missed his penalty shootout attempt and his team was eliminated (4–5).

Rayo

On 27 July 2011, after his contract with Celta expired, Michu signed a two-year deal with Rayo Vallecano, freshly promoted to the top division.[4] He made his debut in the competition on 28 August, in a 1–1 away draw against Athletic Bilbao.[5]

In his first season Michu was one of the best national scorers (joint-ninth overall, best in the midfielder position), notably scoring braces against Real Sociedad (4–0 home win),[6] Racing de Santander (4–2, home)[7] and CA Osasuna (6–0, home),[8] plus a sterile one at Real Madrid (2–6 away loss).[9]

Swansea City

On 20 July 2012 Michu signed a three-year contract with Premier League side Swansea City, for a fee of £2 million.[10] Following the departure of Gylfi Sigurdsson, the club was looking for someone to fill the gap behind the striker in their 4–2–3–1 formation;[11] however, he was given the number 9 shirt upon his transfer, and this saw him in coming games playing as a striker.[12]

On his league debut on 18 August, Michu scored twice and provided an assist for Scott Sinclair in a 5–0 away win against Queens Park Rangers. The first of his goals was also the first scored in the new top flight season,[13][14] and he later described his debut as "incredible".[15]

Michu stayed atop the goalscoring charts by netting the second in a 3–0 home defeat of West Ham United on 25 August,[16] and the second in the 2–2 draw against Sunderland the following matchday.[17] He scored a late double against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 1 December (2–0 win), sending Swansea to seventh in the table.[18]

On 6 January 2013 Michu scored his first FA Cup goal, coming off the bench in an eventual 2–2 home draw against Arsenal for the third round and finding the net a mere 73 seconds after entering the pitch.[19] He followed this with another in his team's 2–0 win at Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Football League Cup.[20]

On 23 January 2013, Michu signed a new four-year contract with Swansea.[21] On 24 February he scored the second in a 5–0 rout of Bradford City to help his team win the League Cup for the first time in its history,[22] in what was his 19th official goal of the campaign.[23]

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.[24] He did not make the final list, however.[25] He has scored 18 goals this season

Club statistics

As of 18 March 2013[26]
Club performance League Cup Other Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa Europe Total
2003–04 Real Oviedo Tercera División 19 3 0 0 — — 19 3
2004–05 19 4 0 0 — — 19 4
2005–06 Segunda División B 31 3 3 0 — — 34 3
2006–07 31 3 0 0 — — 31 3
2007–08 Celta B Segunda División B 28 10 — — — 28 10
2007–08 Celta Segunda División 14 1 0 0 — — 14 1
2008–09 26 1 2 0 — — 28 1
2009–10 30 6 6 2 — — 36 8
2010–11 331 72 1 0 — — 34 7
2011–12 Rayo Vallecano La Liga 37 15 2 2 — — 39 17
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2012–13 Swansea City Premier League 28 15 2 1 6 3 — 36 19
Career total 296 68 16 5 6 3 — 318 76
1Includes two Segunda Division Play-off matches.
2Includes one Segunda Division Play-off goal.

Honours

Swansea City

Personal life

In November 2012, along with fellow Premier League stars Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, Michu bought shares in former club Real Oviedo as they struggled to raise €2 million to stay afloat in the third level.[27] 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."[28]

References

  1. ^ "Swansea profile". Swansea City. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  2. ^ Michu no irá al Sporting de Gijón (Michu will not go to Sporting de Gijón); Faro de Vigo, 16 January 2010 Template:Es icon
  3. ^ Michu salió del banquillo para poner al Celta en el buen camino (Michu came from the bench to lead the way for Celta); Marca, 8 June 2011 Template:Es icon
  4. ^ Rayo Vallecano: acuerdo con Michu (Rayo Vallecano: agreement with Michu); esFutbol, 27 July 2011 Template:Es icon
  5. ^ "Solid return for Vallecano". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2011.
  6. ^ Martinez red spurs Rayo; ESPN Soccernet, 6 November 2011
  7. ^ Rayo comeback stuns Racing; ESPN Soccernet, 3 March 2012
  8. ^ Osasuna hit for six; ESPN Soccernet, 7 April 2012
  9. ^ Ronaldo revels in Rayo rout; ESPN Soccernet, 24 September 2011
  10. ^ Lutz, Tom (20 July 2012). "Swansea City sign Michu from Rayo Vallecano for £2m". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Swans sign bargain Michu". Sky Sports. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Swansea striker Michu will play against Chelsea despite booking threat". The Independent. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  13. ^ Ryan, Mark (18 August 2012). "QPR 0 Swansea 5: Swans rip Rangers to shreds with Michu and Dyer at the fore". Mail Online. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  14. ^ "Michu magic inspires Swansea rout". ESPN Soccernet. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  15. ^ Acedo, Francisco (22 August 2012). "Michu thriving at Swansea". Sky Sports. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  16. ^ "Swansea impress again". ESPN Soccernet. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Swansea City 2–2 Sunderland". ESPN Soccernet. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  18. ^ "Arsenal falls to Swansea at home". ESPN FC. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Graham to the rescue again". ESPN FC. 6 January 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  20. ^ "Chelsea 0–2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  21. ^ "Michu signs four-year contract with Swansea City". BBC Sport. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Bradford 0–5 Swansea". BBC Sport. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  23. ^ "Bantams battered by Swans". ESPN FC. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  24. ^ "Spain job will be my last, says Del Bosque". Goal.com. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  25. ^ "Del Bosque: "De momento no encontramos sitio a Michu y Aspas"" (in Spanish). Marca. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Michu". Football Database. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  27. ^ "Chelsea and Arsenal stars team up to buy ailing Spanish club". Give Me Football. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  28. ^ "Michu answers a Real SOS back home". Swansea AFC. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.

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