Miguel Ángel (footballer, born 1947)

For other people named Miguel Ángel González, see Miguel Ángel González (disambiguation).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Suárez.

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)
1967–1968	→ Castellón (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

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

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

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

Club

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
	1970–71	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. Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup
2. Appearances in European Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Spain[14]	1975	2	0
	1976	2	0
	1977	4	0
	1978	10	0
Total		18	0

Honours

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80^[5]
• Copa del Rey: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82^[5]
• Copa de la Liga: 1985^[5]
• UEFA Cup: 1984–85^[5]

Individual

• Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1975–76^[15]
• Don Balón Award: 1975–76^[16]