Player Focus: Míchel

Míchel celebrates his late 0-1 winner against Getafe

Míchel, a young star in the making, has blasted off after only a few months at Levante. Despite his recent arrival and the club he departed, Míchel has entered the hearts of Levante fans at a speed faster than one of his patented long distance strikes.

I will be the first to admit that I knew nothing about Míchel. In fact, I thought we had signed a different "Míchel", specifically Miguel Marcos Madera, also known as Míchel, who currently plays for Getafe. That "Míchel" is better known for being the son of a Real Madrid legend and little else. So, needless to say I was not that excited about the signing until I made the connection that that was not our Míchel.

Once I found out, it was Míchel Herrero that we had signed, a young Valencian player, I began to feel a little bit better about the signing, though it was hard to imagine then that a player coming from the ranks of two of our most hated rivals, Valencia CF and Hércules CF, could ever really win us over. Míchel has definitely accomplished that feat even with La Liga not even having reached the 10 match mark.

"Míchel has entered the hearts of Levante fans at a speed faster than one of his patented, 

long distance strikes."

Míchel posesses the combination of quickness, control, skill and long range shooting that we have not seen in some time in El Ciutat. He offers an excellent alternative to Barkero, a more deliberate and pass-first midfielder.

At the age of 24, Míchel is making his big break this season with Levante. He shows the maturity, poise and confidence of an established player. He has no problem stepping up to snatch a penalty ball from the hands of a Greek god like Theofanis Gekas and convert the chance in a European match. Nor is taking the ball from the halfline, slipping past Málaga defenders before releasing an unstoppable screamer from his right foot.

Hopes are high for Levante's own version of Meireles, as Los granotas will surely be expecting Valencia CF and other clubs to come knocking for this young player ready to leave his mark on La Liga.

A Look at Míchel's Levante Goals (so far):
Levante @ Málaga - Míchel marched through the Málaga defense after taking the ball near Levante's own half and launched a derrechazo (A right-foot screamer) to the top corner that was impossible to stop. The strike tied up the game at 1-1 before the eventual 2-1 final blow that handed Levante its first away loss.
Levante vs. Espanyol - His cross that took a deflection off a defender was the definitive 3-2 goal in a crazy come from behind win in El Ciutat that sent the home fans into a frenzy of excitement. After losing 0-2, Levante scored 3 in the second half, with Míchel's goal, for added suspense, coming just before the final whistle.
Levante @ Hannover (Europa League) - Converted a penalty in this group match that veteran Theofanis Gekas was ready to take himself. Despite putting Levante up 0-1, Hannover came from behind and won 2-1

Levante @ Getafe - In the 88th minute of a rather poor outing for Levante, devoid of any real offensive buildup, Míchel whipped away all the long faces with a strike from outside the area that caught Getafe keeper Moya well off his line. ¡Un golazo!
Levante vs. Twente (Europa League) - Converted his second penalty in two consecutive Europa League matches, with the previous goal coming away at Hannover.