Michel he lives in Montilivi, probably his best moment in his short career as a coach. Last year he took Girona to the First Division when no one thought it would and, due to his temperament and philosophy of play, he has fitted in perfectly with the idea of a coach that the club has. At 47 years old, he is just living his seventh season as a coach after his stages in theOscar and Lightning, where it started. In fact, today’s scenario, Vallecas, it’s the beginning of it all for a Míchel who is a legend at the Madrid club. The now coach of Girona he played there for 17 seasons and retired in 2012. He did not leave the club because he continued there as the head of methodology of base football first and coach of the youth A afterwards. In 2017, the first team claimed him to take over the bench of the first team and save it from relegation to Segona B. Míchel did not refuse the challenge and not only succeeded but the following year (17- 18) Rayo is going to bid on Primera. Already in Primera, the results condemned him and the club dismissed him on the 28th day.
Míchel is Rayo’s living history even though he has been following a different path for years. First with Huesca and now with Girona with whom, mysteries of fate, he has never been able to defeat his former team. In four games against Rayo, Míchel has only managed to draw once and it was this season with Girona in Montilivi (2-2). Last year he lost to the Copa also in the stadium (1-2), while with Huesca he signed two defeats (2-0 and 0-2). With the Aragonese team he had his first, and to this day, only experience in Vallecas (0-2) as a visitor in a game in which he experienced unprecedented and most special sensations. He will return today. He will do it, yes, with the challenge of breaking the streak and defeatgo the first triomf against seu Rayo.
Mario Hernández The first fruit of the Míchel method
The discharge due to the penalty of the selvatà Ivan Balliu will do that Mario Hernandez, usual substitute, be the starter today at right back. The defender, 24 years old, has a curious honor: that of being the only player of the Youth of the Lightning who led Míchel as a coach who has reached the first team. After closing a stage in the nursery of the Atlético, Hernández joined Rayo where he was managed by Míchel in Juvenil A in the 2016-17 season. That year, Míchel was claimed by the first team while Hernández was transferred to the Recreativo de Huelva, Melilla and San Sebastián de los Reyes before returning to Rayo and living, as a starter, the rise in First Division in Montilivi in 2021.