# Míchel (footballer, born 1975)
**Míchel**, full name Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, is a Spanish football manager and former player, born in 1975, best known for his five seasons as head coach of [Girona FC](https://www.edgepedia.org/girona-fc), which he led to promotion, a third-place finish in [La Liga](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-liga), and the club's first Champions League qualification.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) • [2](https://www.laligaschedule.com/blog/la-liga-2023-24-season-review) He should not be confused with the better-known Míchel of Spanish football commentary, José Miguel González Martín del Campo, the former Real Madrid midfielder born 1963 who also managed Málaga, Sevilla, Marseille, Olympiacos, and other clubs.[3](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/el-club/historia/leyendas-futbol/jose-miguel-gonzalez-martin-del-campo/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, called Míchel; aged 50 at his Girona farewell in May 2026[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) • [4](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/girona-fc/20260529/1004189078/michel-despide-girona-no-quiero-decir-adios.html) |
| Girona appointment | July 2021, with the club in Spain's Segunda División[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) |
| Peak season | 2023/24: third in La Liga, 81 points, 25 wins, 85 goals, first Champions League qualification[2](https://www.laligaschedule.com/blog/la-liga-2023-24-season-review) |
| Signature formation | 4-2-3-1 in possession, with a 4-1-4-1 variant; 4-2-3-1 mid-block out of possession[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) |
| Contract | Renewed by Girona until 2026[5](https://www.gironafc.cat/es/noticias/michel-renovado-hasta-el-2026) |
| Departure | 28 May 2026, after five seasons and relegation to Segunda División[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2026-05-28/el-girona-confirma-el-fin-de-la-era-michel-el-madrileno-no-continuara-como-entrenador.html) |
| Next move | Ajax, after leaving Montilivi[7](https://as.com/futbol/segunda/michel-de-pesca-en-montilivi-f202607-n/) |
## Girona and the rise
Míchel took over Girona in July 2021, when the Catalan club was playing in Spain's second division, and immediately imposed a brave, attacking style of play that carried the team to promotion.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) In 2022/23, its first season back in La Liga, Girona was widely tipped to struggle, but the team fought for a European place until the last game of the season and finished 10th.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) • [8](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/team-analysis/girona-2023-24-early-view-of-their-tactics-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics)
He also made a point of integrating locally. He described adapting to the city and region as a duty, learned Catalan, and said he had become "one more citizen" of Girona.[9](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mini-city-antes-del-city-n/) The club rewarded him with a contract extension to 2026.[5](https://www.gironafc.cat/es/noticias/michel-renovado-hasta-el-2026)
## Tactics
Girona's play under Míchel was built on exploiting space within a favored 4-2-3-1 structure in possession, occasionally shifting to a 4-1-4-1 that used a single pivot but preserved the same wide relationships between full-backs and wingers.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) Wide combinations, such as right-back Yan Couto with winger Viktor Tsygankov and left-back [Daley Blind](https://www.edgepedia.org/daley-blind) with Sávio, occupied different channels so that if the full-back stayed outside, the winger moved inside.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/)
Through the middle, Míchel wanted his team to beat the opposition press and build with numbers, generating 3v2 or 4v3 overloads through third-player runs, with pivot Aleix García and the number eights forming a staggered shape.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) Out of possession, the team favored a 4-2-3-1 mid-block, with a double pivot, a number 10, and narrowing wingers protecting central spaces, and the center-backs splitting in build-up to reduce gaps between the lines and limit transitions.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/)
## The 2023/24 season
The 2023/24 campaign made Míchel's reputation. After 13 rounds, Girona topped La Liga for the first time in the club's 93-year history, averaging 52.45 percent possession, 11.27 shots, and 1.86 goals per game.[1](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/) The team won seven of its first nine games, losing only to Real Madrid.[10](https://themastermindsite.com/2023/10/15/michel-girona-tactical-analysis/)
The season ended with a third-place finish: 25 wins, 85 goals scored, and 81 points, five above [Atlético Madrid](https://www.edgepedia.org/atletico-madrid). Girona beat Atlético 4-3 at Montilivi, closed the league by beating Granada 7-0, the club's biggest professional win, and earned a direct place in the Champions League, its first European campaign. The 81-point total was, according to the club, the highest La Liga figure achieved at that time by any club other than Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atlético.[2](https://www.laligaschedule.com/blog/la-liga-2023-24-season-review)
## Europe, decline, and departure
Girona's Champions League debut came at Paris Saint-Germain in September 2024, a match Míchel approached by acknowledging the opponent's strength.[11](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2024/09/18/el-discurso-de-michel-previo-a-debut-en-champions-que-explica-la-clave-del-exito-del-girona-cadena-ser/) The club's first win in the competition followed in October 2024, 2-0 against Slovan Bratislava, with goals from Miguel Gutiérrez and Juanpe Ramírez in a Míchel lineup that changed by necessity.[12](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/deporte/el-real-madrid-logra-enesima-remontada-champions-dortmund-52-girona-consigue-primera-victoria-20.html)
Results then fell away. Míchel himself called 2025 a bad year at the level of results and sensations, and said his future should be judged by the data.[13](https://as.com/futbol/primera/michel-echeverri-ya-esta-entrenando-con-nosotros-pero-no-esta-firmado-f202601-n/) After a 1-1 draw against Elche at Montilivi confirmed relegation to the [Segunda División](https://www.edgepedia.org/segunda-division), Girona announced on 28 May 2026 that Míchel would leave when his contract expired on 30 June, closing a five-season tenure the club described as one of the most significant in its recent history for its style of play, its Champions League participation, and its third-place league finish.[6](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2026-05-28/el-girona-confirma-el-fin-de-la-era-michel-el-madrileno-no-continuara-como-entrenador.html) In his farewell he said, in Catalan, that these had been the best years of his life as a coach and that he did not want to say goodbye: "I will be here forever."[14](https://as.com/futbol/primera/michel-han-sido-los-mejores-anos-de-mi-vida-como-entrenador-f202605-n/?outputType=amp)
Shortly afterwards he moved to Ajax, where several of his former Girona players, including Daley Blind, followed or were targeted to join him.[7](https://as.com/futbol/segunda/michel-de-pesca-en-montilivi-f202607-n/)
## References
1. [Míchel's Girona tactics analysed, Coaches' Voice](https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/michel-girona-tactics/)
2. [La Liga 2023/24 Review: Table, Results and Scorers, LaLigaSchedule](https://www.laligaschedule.com/blog/la-liga-2023-24-season-review)
3. [Míchel (José Miguel González Martín del Campo), Web oficial Real Madrid C.F.](https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/el-club/historia/leyendas-futbol/jose-miguel-gonzalez-martin-del-campo/)
4. [Míchel se despide del Girona, Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/girona-fc/20260529/1004189078/michel-despide-girona-no-quiero-decir-adios.html)
5. [Michel renovado hasta el 2026, Web Oficial Girona FC](https://www.gironafc.cat/es/noticias/michel-renovado-hasta-el-2026)
6. [El Girona confirma el fin de la era Míchel, El País](https://elpais.com/deportes/futbol/2026-05-28/el-girona-confirma-el-fin-de-la-era-michel-el-madrileno-no-continuara-como-entrenador.html)
7. [Míchel, de pesca en Montilivi, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/segunda/michel-de-pesca-en-montilivi-f202607-n/)
8. [Girona 2023/24: How Míchel has guided the Catalan club to an unbeaten LaLiga start, Total Football Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/team-analysis/girona-2023-24-early-view-of-their-tactics-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics)
9. [Mini City antes del City, AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/mini-city-antes-del-city-n/)
10. [Míchel – Girona – Tactical Analysis, TheMastermindSite](https://themastermindsite.com/2023/10/15/michel-girona-tactical-analysis/)
11. [El discurso de Michel previo al debut en Champions, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2024/09/18/el-discurso-de-michel-previo-a-debut-en-champions-que-explica-la-clave-del-exito-del-girona-cadena-ser/)
12. [El Girona consigue su primera victoria (2-0), HuffPost España](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/deporte/el-real-madrid-logra-enesima-remontada-champions-dortmund-52-girona-consigue-primera-victoria-20.html)
13. [Míchel: "Echeverri ya está entrenando con nosotros, pero no está firmado", AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/michel-echeverri-ya-esta-entrenando-con-nosotros-pero-no-esta-firmado-f202601-n/)
14. [Míchel: "Han sido los mejores años de mi vida como entrenador", AS.com](https://as.com/futbol/primera/michel-han-sido-los-mejores-anos-de-mi-vida-como-entrenador-f202605-n/?outputType=amp)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Managers and coaches › Iberian and Latin American managers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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