What happened to Michu? Erling Haaland's idol goes from being hero to football's nowhere

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland had recently revealed that he idolised former Premier League star Michu as a child. Michu in response sent a signed jersey to Erling Haaland after the Norwegian's revelation. Miguel Cuesta, fondly called as Michu, played for teams in the Premier League, Serie A and LaLiga, before bringing an end to his career with the Segunda division side Real Oviedo in 2017. Let us look at the player’s football journey.

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What happened to Michu? Erling Haaland's idol began his career with Real Oviedo

Michu, who played as a striker, started his career with Real Oviedo in the Segunda division of Spanish topflight. After a decent four-season stint (2003-2007) with Oviedo scoring 13 goals in 100 appearances, he was then signed by Celta Vigo B. He spent five seasons playing for the Spanish side.

What happened to Michu? The striker played for Celta Vigo B

In January 2010, he was on the verge of joining LaLiga side Sporting de Gijon to replace Michael, but a deal fell through and he went on to stay with Celta. He scored 12 goals in 117 appearances, after which he signed a two-year contract with Rayo Vallecano with an aim to finally achieve his dream of playing in LaLiga.

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What happened to Michu? Striker joined Rayo Vallecano in 2010

Michu was incredible for Rayo Vallecano in his debut season, scoring 17 goals across all competitions in 39 games. His career highlights at Rayo Vallecano marked his braces against the likes of Real Madrid, Racing de Santander and Osasuna. His form attracted interest from Premier League sides and in July 2012, Michu signed a three-year deal with Premier League side Swansea City for a reported fee of £2 million.

What happened to Michu? Michu Swansea City heroics noticed in the Premier league

Michu showed glimpses of his phenomenal form in the Premier League that went on to compel Erling Haaland to follow the Swansea striker. The Spanish international scored a brace, along with an assist in his debut game against Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He spent two seasons at Swansea, scoring an incredible 22 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions in his first season, making 'Michu Swansea City' connected words.

Swansea decided to extend his contract, ensuring his stay in the Premier League for three more years after a great debut season. However, he failed to emulate his previous season’s form for the Premier League side as he managed to net just six goals in 22 games. He could not play sufficient games due to frequent injury issues, thus hampering his progress.

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What happened to Michu? The Michu injury phase

In July 2014, Michu was loaned out to Serie A side Napoli for a season, with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. However, his time at Italy was largely marked by injuries as he could play six competitive games only. Napoli decided not to make the deal permanent and he had to return to Swansea. However, Swansea decided to release him in November 2015 as the player was no more considered valuable for the team.

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Where is Michu now? 

After his departure from Swansea, Michu went on to join Asturian amateur side UP Langreo, only to return to Oviedo on a one-year deal. He made his debut for the Spain national team only in 2014 during the World Cup qualifier against Belarus. In July 2017, he announced his retirement from professional football at an age of 31. However, he is still associated with the sport as the technical secretary of Oviedo.