Miquel Soler

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

Miquel Soler Sarasols (born 16 March 1965) is a Spanish retired football player and manager.

Miquel Soler

Soler in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Miquel Soler Sarasols
Date of birth	(1965-03-16) 16 March 1965 (age 59)
Place of birth	Girona, Spain
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Left-back, midfielder
Youth career
1979–1983	Olot
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1988	Español	118	(3)
1985–1986	→ Hospitalet (loan)	17	(2)
1988–1995	Barcelona	81	(2)
1991–1992	→ Atlético Madrid (loan)	25	(1)
1993–1995	→ Sevilla (loan)	75	(1)
1995–1996	Real Madrid	14	(1)
1996–1998	Zaragoza	39	(2)
1998–2003	Mallorca	152	(1)
Total		521	(13)
International career
1983	Spain U18	1	(0)
1986–1987	Spain U21	3	(0)
1987	Spain U23	2	(0)
1987–1991	Spain	9	(0)
1993–1998	Catalonia	3	(0)
Managerial career
2011–2014	Mallorca B
2014	Mallorca
2015	Mallorca
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mainly a left-back who could also operate as a wide midfielder, his career spanned two La Liga decades (with 652 competitive matches), and he was the only player to represent both Barcelona and Madrid main clubs.^[1]

Soler appeared for Spain at Euro 1988.

Club career

Born in Girona, Catalonia, Soler was a RCD Espanyol youth graduate, making his first-team – and La Liga – debut in the 1983–84 season and becoming first-choice following a loan to neighbouring CE L'Hospitalet. In his fourth year, as the club finished third after the second stage, he appeared in 41 out of 42 games and scored two goals, going on to help it to reach the final of the 1987–88 UEFA Cup, netting in the 3–0 home win in the first leg as the Pericos eventually lost on penalties against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.^[2][3]

Subsequently, Soler joined FC Barcelona,^[4] winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in his first season while also playing 23 matches in the league. After a sole campaign with Atlético Madrid, where he won his second Copa del Rey, he returned to Barcelona, with no impact.^[5][6]

After two excellent years with Sevilla FC, still on loan from Barcelona,^[7] Soler moved to Real Madrid,^[8] but appeared scarcely during 1995–96 (his only season) as coach Arsenio Iglesias was ordered by chairman Lorenzo Sanz not to utilise him as he would be automatically renewed if he played the required number of 20 matches.^[9] Following a spell with Real Zaragoza^[10] he was still able, at 33, to sign for RCD Mallorca, where he made a further 152 top-flight appearances, winning another domestic cup and retiring at the end of 2002–03; he totalled 504 games at that level, scoring 11 times.^[6]

Soler started working as a manager with Mallorca's reserves, going on to be in charge of the team for three years, two in the Segunda División B.^[11] In the summer of 2014, he was appointed at the helm of the main squad in the Segunda División,^[12] being relieved of his duties one month later following a directorial change^[13] but returning in February 2015 after his successor Valery Karpin was dismissed.^[14]

International career

Soler won nine caps for the Spain national side, and represented the nation at UEFA Euro 1988,^[6] where he appeared in the win against Denmark (playing the second half) and the loss to Italy.^[15][16] His debut came in a Euro 1988 qualifier in Bucharest, a 3–1 defeat against Romania on 29 April 1987.^[17]

Managerial statistics

As of 20 June 2015

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Mallorca B[18]		22 June 2011	11 July 2014	118	51	29	38	177	128	+49	043.22
Mallorca		11 July 2014	12 August 2014	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	!—
Mallorca[19]		10 February 2015	20 June 2015	18	6	3	9	21	27	−6	033.33
Career total				136	57	32	47	198	155	+43	041.91

Honours

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1990–91, 1992–93^[6]
• Copa del Rey: 1989–90^[6]
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89; runner-up: 1990–91^[6]

Atlético Madrid

• Copa del Rey: 1991–92^[6]

Mallorca

• Copa del Rey: 2002–03^[20]
• Supercopa de España: 1998^[21]
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1998–99^[22]

See also

• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)

References

1. Soler flair lights Mallorca; UEFA, 8 November 2002
2. ¡Y continua la "Euro-fiesta"! ("Euro-party" continues!); Mundo Deportivo, 5 May 1988 (in Spanish)
3. Miquel SOLER; Hall of Fame Perico, 14 May 2009 (in Spanish)
4. "El primer derbi de Cruyff fue especial. Era el líder, como Xavi" ("Cruyff's first derby was special. He was the leader, as Xavi"); El Periódico de Catalunya, 18 November 2021 (in Spanish)
5. Cruyff anuncia que Soler regresa a la plantilla del Barcelona (Cruyff announces Soler returns to Barcelona's squad); El País, 29 July 1992 (in Spanish)
6. Soler: "Estuve en siete equipos y nunca me sentí un mercenario" (Soler: "I was in seven teams and I never felt like a mercenary"); Diario AS, 15 May 2013 (in Spanish)
7. Soler seguirá un año más en el Sevilla (Soler will continue at Sevilla another year); El País, 16 June 1994 (in Spanish)
8. El Madrid ultima el fichaje del sevillista Soler (Madrid completing signing of Sevilla man Soler); El País, 8 April 1995 (in Spanish)
9. El peculiar 'plan renove' del Real Madrid con Soler (Real Madrid's peculiar 'renew plan' with Soler); El Norte de Castilla, 5 June 2013 (in Spanish)
10. Miquel Soler: "El Zaragoza era un grande cuando llegué" (Miquel Soler: "Zaragoza were giants when I arrived"); El Periódico de Aragón, 11 November 2013 (in Spanish)
11. 'Nanu' Soler y Patxi Salinas entrenarán en Tercera ('Nanu' Soler and Patxi Salinas will coach in Tercera); Marca, 22 June 2011 (in Spanish)
12. Miguel Soler, nuevo entrenador del Mallorca (Miguel Soler, new manager of Mallorca); Marca, 11 July 2014 (in Spanish)
13. Aouate anuncia a Karpin como nuevo entrenador del Mallorca (Aouate announces Karpin as new Mallorca manager); Diario AS, 12 August 2014 (in Spanish)
14. 'Nanu' Soler: "La plantilla tiene un margen importante de mejora" ('Nanu' Soler: "The squad can still improve dramatically"); Sport, 10 February 2015 (in Spanish)
15. Fichas técnicas de los partidos de España en fases finales (Match sheets of Spain's games in finals); La Información, 4 June 2012 (in Spanish)
16. 1988: Vialli cava la fosa hispana (1988: Vialli digs the Hispanic grave); Marca, 9 June 2012 (in Spanish)
17. La violencia, en boca de todos (Violence, on everyone's lips); Mundo Deportivo, 30 April 1987 (in Spanish)
18. "Segunda División B (Grupo 3) 2011–12" [Segunda División B (Group 3) 2011–12] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
    "Segunda División B (Grupo 3) 2012–13" [Segunda División B (Group 3) 2012–13] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
    "Tercera División (Grupo 11) 2013–14" [Tercera División (Group 11) 2013–14] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
    "Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 2013–14" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B 2013–14] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
19. "Soler: Miquel Soler Sarasols". BDFutbol. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
20. Eto'o pone Mallorca a brindar (Eto'o has Mallorca toasting); El País, 29 June 2003 (in Spanish)
21. Se cumplen 25 años del primer título en la historia del RCD mallorca [sic] (25th anniversary of the first title in RCD Mallorca's history); Diario AS, 22 August 2023 (in Spanish)
22. El Mallorca pierde con orgullo (Mallorca lose proudly); El País, 20 May 1999 (in Spanish)

External links

• Miquel Soler at BDFutbol
• Miquel Soler manager profile at BDFutbol
• Miquel Soler at National-Football-Teams.com
• Miquel Soler at EU-Football.info