Miguel Ángel (footballer, born 1947)

Miguel Ángel González Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [mi(ˈ)ɣel ˈaŋxel ɣonˈθaleθ ˈswaɾeθ]; 24 December 1947 – 6 February 2024), known as Miguel Ángel, was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Miguel Ángel
Personal information
Full name Miguel Ángel González Suárez
Date of birth (1947-12-24)24 December 1947
Place of birth Ourense, Spain
Date of death 6 February 2024(2024-02-06) (aged 76)
Place of death Madrid, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Couto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1967 Atlético Orense
1967–1986 Real Madrid 247 (0)
1967–1968Castellón (loan) 26 (0)
Total 273 (0)
International career
1975 Spain amateur 1 (0)
1975–1978 Spain 18 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He all but spent his career with Real Madrid, making 346 competitive appearances.[1]

Club career

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Miguel Ángel was born in Ourense, Galicia.[2] During his career, after making his beginnings at handball, he played for AD Couto (later renamed Atlético Orense),[3][4] CD Castellón and Real Madrid, having an 18-year spell with the latter club and being first choice from 1974 to 1978 and in two of his final three seasons; he conquered six La Liga championships, being an active part in four of those.[5]

Miguel Ángel retired in June 1986, aged 38.[2] Subsequently, he remained attached to Real in several capacities.[6]

International career

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Miguel Ángel earned 18 caps for the Spain national team.[2] He made his debut on 12 October 1975 in a 2–0 win against Denmark for the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers, held in Barcelona.[7]

Miguel Ángel was included in the squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where he started.[8] He was a last-minute addition to the 1982 edition on home soil, as manager José Santamaría preferred to select three goalkeepers; he did not play in the latter tournament.[9]

Personal life and death

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On 17 December 2022, Miguel Ángel was diagnosed with ALS;[10] Real Madrid expressed support for his fight against the disease in an official statement.[11] He died on 6 February 2024, at the age of 76.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real Madrid 1967–68 La Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1968–69 La Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1969–70 La Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1969–70 La Liga 7 0 0 0 3[a] 0 10 0
1971–72 La Liga 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
1972–73 La Liga 8 0 0 0 2[b] 0 10 0
1973–74 La Liga 5 0 7 0 0 0 12 0
1974–75 La Liga 31 0 6 0 6[a] 0 43 0
1975–76 La Liga 32 0 3 0 8[b] 0 43 0
1976–77 La Liga 33 0 2 0 4[b] 0 39 0
1977–78 La Liga 27 0 7 0 34 0
1978–79 La Liga 16 0 1 0 3[b] 0 20 0
1979–80 La Liga 1 0 5 0 1[b] 0 7 0
1980–81 La Liga 2 0 0 0 1[b] 0 3 0
1981–82 La Liga 18 0 0 0 5[c] 0 23 0
1982–83 La Liga 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
1983–84 La Liga 28 0 11 0 2 0 0 0 41 0
1984–85 La Liga 30 0 2 0 3 0 12[c] 0 47 0
1985–86 La Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 247 0 45 0 9 0 45 0 0 0 346 0
Castellón (loan) 1967–68 Segunda División 26 0 3 0 29 0
Total 26 0 3 0 29 0
Career total 273 0 48 0 9 0 45 0 0 0 375 0
  1. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  2. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in European Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Cup

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 1975 2 0
1976 2 0
1977 4 0
1978 10 0
Total 18 0

Honours

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Real Madrid

Individual

References

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  1. ^ González, Pepe (6 February 2024). "Ourense llora la pérdida de Miguel Ángel" [Ourense mourns loss of Miguel Ángel] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Ramos, Jesús (30 July 2016). "Miguel Ángel, el felino de Orense" [Miguel Ángel, feline from Orense]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ Ron, Jorge (15 November 2017). "Luis Soria Montero: "Miguel Ángel era el mejor embajador de Ourense en Madrid"" [Luis Soria Montero: "Miguel Ángel was Ourense's best ambassador in Madrid"]. La Región (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Miguel Ángel González Suárez: "Creí que iba a firmar por el Celta, pero intervino el Madrid"" [Miguel Ángel González Suárez: "I thought I was going to sign for Celta, but Madrid intervened"]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). 15 August 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "18 temporadas defendiendo la portería madridista" [18 seasons defending Madrid's goal] (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Zoco nuevo delegado del equipo" [Zoco new team delegate]. El País (in Spanish). 13 January 1994. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Una victoria de España sobre Dinamarca con menos juego y menos goles (2–0) de lo esperado" [Spanish win over Denmark with less play and fewer goals (2–0) than expected]. ABC (in Spanish). 14 October 1975. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Murió Miguel Ángel González, leyenda del arco del Real Madrid y la selección de España: sus brillantes atajadas en el Mundial de Argentina 78" [Death of Miguel Ángel González, Real Madrid and Spain national team's goalkeeping legend: his brilliant saves in the Argentina 78 World Cup]. Infobae (in Spanish). 6 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ Bosch, Carlos (18 May 2016). "El Mundial que Santamaría le robó a Sempere" [The World Cup that Santamaría took from Sempere]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ Williams, George (17 December 2022). "Real Madrid exporter Miguel Ángel suffers from ALS". Sports Finding. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Official announcement: Miguel Ángel". Real Madrid CF. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Comunicado oficial: fallecimiento de Miguel Ángel" [Official announcement: death of Miguel Ángel] (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  13. ^ Miguel Ángel at BDFutbol
  14. ^ "Todos los porteros que se quedaron con el Premio Zamora" [All the goalkeepers that got the Zamora Trophy] (in Spanish). Goal. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  15. ^ Pla Díaz, Emilio. "Spain – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
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