PLAYER PROFILE：“MICHU”.docVIP

PLAYER PROFILE：“MICHU” 　　Early Career and Britain 　　Miguel Perez Cuesta， or Michu， as he is known， was born in Oviedo， Spain， on 21 March 1986. He began his football career at local side Real Oviedo before moving to Spanish clubs Celta de Vigo and then Rayo Vallecano， playing his first game in Spain’s top division with Rayo in the 2011～2012 season. Michu signed for Swansea in July 2012 for E2 million， which now seems a bargain for the Welsh club. He was Swansea’s top scorer in the Premier League in 2012～2013 with 18 goals， and he also scored in the League Cup Final victory over Bradford City （5-0）. He was voted Swansea’s Player of the Year， 2012～2013. 　　Michu at Swansea 　　Michu played his first league game for Swansea on 18 August 2012 and made an immediate impact. He scored two goals and assisted for another in a 5-0 win at Queen’s Park Rangers. He played at Rayo Vallecano as an attacking midfielder， but he was given the number 9 shirt at Swansea. With the number of goals he scored in his first season――22 in all competitions he proved that he could play as a striker. Swansea signed Wilfried Bony from Dutch side Vitesse in the summer of 2013 for a club record E12 million. The arrival of Bony meant that Michu could now play as a second striker. 　　The Spanish National Team 　　In terms of selection for the Spanish national team， Michu is very unlucky to be playing football at the same time as Spain’s Golden Generation of players. They have won the last three major competitions in world football： the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and the South Africa World Cup in 2010. The Swansea striker was almost selected for a friendly match against Uruguay in February 2013， but he was cut from the squad. Coach Vicente Del Bosque explained why.“Michu deserves to play. We recognise his quality and his goals in the Premier League， but we can’t find a space for him at the moment.” 　　Swansea City 　　There are two Welsh clubs in the Premier League： Swansea City and Car