Abraham P. Romero Madrid
Madrid
Updated Friday, February 9, 2024-23:49
Live Real Madrid - Girona (6:30 p.m.)
24th day Classification in First
The incredible journey of Míchel Del Colegio Tajamar in Vallecas to candidate for the title with Girona
Miguel Gutiérrez
(Madrid, 2001) left
Valdebebas
after
Real Madrid
became
European champions
. It was the summer of 2022 and
Marcelo
had just announced that he was leaving the club. The youth player could have sheltered in the shadow of
Ferland Mendy
, but he chose the path of challenges and growth. And he has done well. Two years later,
Miguel is the best left back
of the season
and in the upper echelons of the Bernabéu they are already studying his return home.
The left-hander born in the capital, who joined
La Fábrica
at just 10 years old , has evolved as footballers under the orders of
Míchel
. «He already had the maturity and mentality, but he has become a professional. “Real football player,” say those who know him best. He is the
left back in the League
who accumulates
the most minutes
(1,952), the one who
dribbles the most
, the second with
the most assists
(3) after
Diego Rico
(5), the fourth with the best average score and he has also scored a goal. This afternoon, when he returns to Chamartín, many eyes will be on him.
Much of Girona's football passes through his boots. The theory says that his position is left back, but in attack he threatens the rival from the interior or the midfielder, being another bullet in an offensive that scares the entire championship. «
Miguel Gutiérrez has made a lot of progress
. This experience with Girona has been good for him. Every week the players who are on loan are evaluated and in the summer we will make the decision together with the player and Girona," Ancelotti said yesterday.
«An ideal habitat»
The reality is that in Valdebebas Miguel's name has always been underlined. He was champion of the
Youth Champions League
with Raúl,
he shone with Castilla
that was close to promotion to Second, he debuted with
Zidane
and had some continuity in the face of
Mendy and Marcelo
's injuries . But he knew that he needed air away from Madrid to one day return. That's how it has been.
In Girona he has found, say those close to him, "an ideal habitat to grow and a playing philosophy where he fits in perfectly." And what's more, the
22-year-
old has learned to improve the professional habits that take elite athletes to the next level. And as an example, two details:
nutrition and sleep
.
Miguel's football leap only needed minutes because the talent, as Valdebebas insist, "has always been there." But the physical step has arrived based on technology. The defender has taken "
one step further" at a nutritional level
, controlling his diet much more, and uses
various technological tools to improve his rest
and be, they say, a "footballer 24 hours a day."
"It's almost a laboratory"
In his house he has a sensor that manages the
type of light
used at different times of the day, especially at night, and he uses
relaxation glasses
before going to sleep to prepare his senses for the night. "It's almost a laboratory," those close to her joke.
His return to the Bernabéu has generated a lot of noise about his future, but the player, Girona, Madrid and his entourage prefer to focus on the
fight for the League
before discussing it in the summer. Elite clubs such as
Bayern, Chelsea and Tottenham
already moved in January to show interest in the player, but Miguel was clear: finish the season with Girona and have a return to Madrid as his first option. The white team still has
50% of the
left-handed rights and can buy him back for
5 million
, something that the parties hope will happen despite the white interest in Alphonso Davies, Bayern's full-back. Mendy and Fran García, up for debate.