Miki Roqué facts for kids
Roqué training with Betis in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 July 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Tremp, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 24 June 2012 (aged 23) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Algar | |||
| 2004–2005 | Lleida | ||
| 2005–2007 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2009 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Xerez (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Cartagena (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2009–2010 | Betis B | 31 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | Betis | 12 | (2) |
| Total | 78 | (6) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006–2007 | Spain U19 | 3 | (1) |
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Miguel "Miki" Roqué Farrero (born July 8, 1988 – died June 24, 2012) was a Spanish footballer. He played as a central defender, which means he was a player who helped protect his team's goal.
Miki Roqué joined the famous English club Liverpool before he turned 18. During his time there, he was loaned out to several other teams in England and Spain to gain more experience. In 2009, he moved back to Spain and joined Betis, where he played in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest football league in Spain.
Sadly, Miki Roqué passed away in June 2012 at the young age of 23, after a battle with cancer.
Contents
Miki Roqué's Football Journey
Starting Out and Playing for Liverpool
Miki Roqué was born in Tremp, a town in Catalonia, Spain. When he was just 17, he was signed by Liverpool from his local team, UE Lleida. At Liverpool, the manager was a fellow Spaniard, Rafael Benítez.
Miki made his first appearance for Liverpool's main team in a big European match. This was in the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray SK in December 2006. He came on as a substitute during the game.
To get more playing time, Miki was sent on a temporary loan to Football League One club Oldham Athletic in March 2007. This was his first chance to play in a professional league match in England. He played a few games for them, including his first start.
Loans in Spain
In August 2007, Miki returned to Spain for another loan spell. He joined Xerez CD, a team in the Segunda División. He played in some cup matches for them, which are knockout tournaments like the Copa del Rey. However, he only played one league game during this loan.
The next season, in 2008–2009, Miki played much more often for FC Cartagena. He helped this club from the Murcia region get promoted from Segunda División B to a higher league. This was a great achievement for him and the team.
Joining Real Betis
After four years with Liverpool, Miki Roqué left the club in June 2009. He then returned to Spain and joined the reserve team of Real Betis, called Betis Deportivo Balompié. In his first season with the reserves, he was sent off (given a red card) three times.
Miki started playing for the main Betis team in the 2010–2011 season. He made his first appearance for them in October 2010. That season, he played 12 games and scored two goals. His contributions helped Betis get promoted back to La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain, after being out of it for two years.
Miki Roqué's Health and Legacy
His Brave Fight
On March 5, 2011, Miki Roqué had a routine check-up because he was having some back problems. During this check-up, doctors found that he had cancer in his pelvic area. He had surgery the very next day to remove the tumor.
The fans of Betis showed incredible support for Miki. They raised money to help with his treatment. Even famous footballers like Carles Puyol, who was from the same province as Miki, helped by donating money for special private treatment.
Remembering Miki Roqué
Sadly, after fighting the illness for just over a year, Miki Roqué passed away on June 24, 2012, at the age of 23. His death touched many people in the football world.
Many international players, who were competing in the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament at the time, shared tributes to Miki on Twitter. After the final match of the tournament, Spain's goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who used to be Miki's teammate at Liverpool, wore a Betis shirt with Miki's name on it during the team's victory lap. Another player, Cesc Fàbregas, also wore a shirt with Miki's name, along with other footballers who had passed away too soon.
Miki Roqué became known as "The Eternal 26" to Betis fans. This was because 26 was his jersey number when he played at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, Betis' home stadium. To honor him, fans would chant his name in the 26th minute of each half of a match.
In 2013, a special monument was put up in his hometown. It had a plaque with the badges of all the clubs Miki had played for.
During his illness, Miki worked with a writer named Juan Manuel López. One of Miki's wishes was to have a book written about his life, and the other was to return to playing football. The book, called La Luz de Miki Roqué (The Light of Miki Roqué), was released in March 2015. It included stories from his family and people who worked at Betis.
Achievements
Betis
- Segunda División: 2010–11 (This means Betis won the second-highest league in Spain during that season.)
See also
In Spanish: Miki Roqué para niños
- List of sportspeople who died during their careers
