Míchel Salgado facts for kids
Salgado playing in a legends match in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ángel Salgado Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 22 October 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | As Neves, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Saudi Arabia (under-15) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1992 | Cristo Victoria | ||
| 1992–1994 | Celta | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | Celta B | 20 | (1) |
| 1995–1999 | Celta | 92 | (3) |
| 1996–1997 | → Salamanca (loan) | 36 | (1) |
| 1999–2009 | Real Madrid | 251 | (4) |
| 2009–2012 | Blackburn Rovers | 66 | (0) |
| 2018 | Independiente | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 466 | (9) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994 | Spain U18 | 7 | (0) |
| 1995 | Spain U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 1995 | Spain U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 1996–1998 | Spain U21 | 10 | (0) |
| 1998–2006 | Spain | 53 | (0) |
| 2005 | Galicia | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2017 | Galicia | ||
| 2022 | Pafos (interim) | ||
| 2023 | Pafos (interim) | ||
| 2024– | Saudi Arabia (under-15) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Miguel Ángel "Míchel" Salgado Fernández (born on October 22, 1975) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a right-back, a defensive position on the right side of the field.
He was known for his strong tackling and his ability to join in attacks. After playing very well for Celta, he spent ten years with Real Madrid. A former teammate, Steve McManaman, described him as a very tough player, even during practice. Salgado also played for three seasons in England with Blackburn Rovers.
Salgado played in 341 La Liga matches, scoring seven goals. He represented the Spanish national team for eight years. During this time, he played in more than 50 international games. He also appeared in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Celta
Míchel Salgado was born in As Neves, a town in Galicia, Spain. He started his professional football journey with his hometown club, RC Celta de Vigo. His first game in La Liga, Spain's top league, was on January 22, 1995. Celta lost that away game 4–0 against Real Madrid.
He then spent a season on loan at UD Salamanca in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second division. When he returned to Celta, he became the main player in his position.
While at Celta, Salgado was involved in an incident with Atlético Madrid's Juninho Paulista in February 1998. After a strong challenge, Juninho was unable to play for six months. This meant he missed the World Cup that year.
Salgado scored his highest number of goals in one season during the 1998–99 season. He scored three goals, helping his team finish fifth. This result allowed Celta to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Years at Real Madrid
In 1999, Real Madrid bought Salgado for €11,000,000. In his first season, he played in 29 league games. He also helped the club win the UEFA Champions League, a major European competition.
Salgado was a regular starter for Real Madrid for his first seven years. However, in the 2006–07 season, he started to play less. Former Sevilla FC player Sergio Ramos took over his starting spot.
Salgado played in 16 matches when Real Madrid won their 30th national title. This was mainly because of injuries. In the next two seasons, he played very few games, only 17 appearances in total. He was sent off in the last game of the 2008–09 season. This game was a 2–1 loss against CA Osasuna on May 31, 2009. Real Madrid lost their fifth league game in a row that day.
Salgado left Real Madrid in early August 2009, during the team's pre-season training.
Time with Blackburn Rovers
On August 19, 2009, Salgado moved to Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League in England. He signed a two-year contract after impressing manager Sam Allardyce during a trial. He said he was happy to play for his new club and planned to finish his career at Ewood Park, Blackburn's home stadium.
Salgado played his first game for Blackburn on September 12, 2009. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On October 27, he scored his only goal for Blackburn. It was in a 5–2 victory over Peterborough United in the Football League Cup.
On January 27, 2011, Salgado, who was 35 years old, agreed to extend his contract. He was a first-choice player at the start of the 2011–12 season until he got injured.
In December 2011, Blackburn manager Steve Kean explained why Salgado was not playing. His contract said he would get a new deal if he played nine more matches. The club could not afford to offer him new terms, so they stopped playing him.
Later Career and Coaching
At 40 years old, Salgado came out of retirement to join Kochi 5s in India's Premier Futsal league as a star player. He later became part of a group that owned football clubs Gibraltar United F.C. and UD Los Barrios.
Salgado played again in April 2018 for Independiente F.C. in Panama. He started in a 1–1 draw against C.D. Plaza Amador. After retiring, he settled in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In 2020, he helped start Fursan Hispania FC, which began as a football academy.
On February 5, 2021, Salgado was appointed as the football director for Cypriot First Division team Pafos FC. He also served as their temporary coach on two occasions.
On September 4, 2018, Salgado was named assistant manager for the Egyptian national team. In June 2024, he became the head coach of the Saudi Arabia under-15 national team.
International Play
Salgado earned his first of 53 appearances for Spain on September 5, 1998. This was in a surprising 3–2 loss against Cyprus during the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers. He was part of Spain's teams for Euro 2000 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Due to injuries at the last minute, Salgado missed the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. He also played for the Galician regional team. Later, he coached this team alongside Deportivo de La Coruña's Fran.
Personal Life
Míchel Salgado married Malula Sanz on July 5, 2000. Malula is the daughter of Lorenzo Sanz, who used to be the president of Real Madrid. They have three children: a daughter named Malu (born 2003) and two sons, Miguel (born 2005) and Alán (born 2009). Malu is a singer, and her brothers also play football.
Salgado is related by marriage to former Real Madrid players Fernando Sanz and Paco Sanz. He is also related to basketball player Lorenzo Sanz Jr.. Salgado is a big fan of chess.
Honours and Achievements
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08 (Spanish League Champion)
- Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003, 2008 (Spanish Super Cup Winner)
- UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000, 2001–02 (European Champions League Winner)
- Intercontinental Cup: 2002 (World Club Champion)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2002 (European Super Cup Winner)
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1998 (European Under-21 Champion)
Images for kids
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Salgado in a charity match in Tehran in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Míchel Salgado para niños
