Quick Facts
Biography
Luis Ernesto Michel Vergara (born 21 July 1979) is a Mexican football goalkeeper who currently plays for Tijuana in the Liga MX. Michel has captained both Guadalajara and the Mexico national team in official matches, captaining the latter in the 2011 Copa América.
Club career
C.D. Guadalajara
Michel debuted against Irapuato, replacing the suspended starting keeper Oswaldo Sánchez on September 24, with Chivas winning 3–2. Three years later, Michel found himself playing in the Clausura 2006 playoffs, when the usual second-choice keeper, Alfredo Talavera, was not playing well and head coach José Manuel de la Torre gave the starting spot to Michel, who wore the number 31. Luis Ernesto played well, despite receiving 6 goals in 3 games, and being eliminated by Pachuca on an injury-time goal, but he proved that he could be an effective substitute for Sánchez. Months later, Michel played in the Copa Libertadores in 2006, playing in the first match against Veléz Sarsfield of Argentina in the quarter-finals.
Throughout Michel's career, he has received some nicknames for the jerseys he wears as in the Clausura 2006 playoffs, Luis Ernesto Michel traditionally wore a red goalie uniform, earning him the nicknames "El Diablo" (The Devil) and "El Coloradito" (The Little Red One). After wearing a white goalie jersey on occasions during the 2007 season, he switched to an all-black uniform, leading some fans to call him "El Caballero Negro" (The Black Knight).
After Oswaldo Sánchez was dealt away to Santos Laguna for the Clausura 2007 tournament, Michel was promoted to starting goalkeeper, wearing jersey number 23. After months of playing, they switched his jersey number to number one. During a SuperLiga match against Atlante in 2008, he suffered a double fracture on the radius and ulna bones in his forearm after erroneously diving to save a loose ball. Michel was ruled out for the Apertura 2008 season by doctors, making him miss his chance to play with his national team. He was replaced by backup goalkeeper Sergio Rodriguez, until he was replaced by Victor Hernandez. However, Michel made a comeback and won the Interliga 2009 with Guadalajara.
On January 11, 2010 manager Jose Luis Real named Luis Michel as team captain after Ramon Morales was released. He captained Chivas for their historic 8–0 run, which is now the record of most wins in a row at the start of the season. They received their first loss at the hands of Jaguares 4–0 ended their run. When Michel was called up to the national team, Victor Hernandez took over until his injury, in which Liborio Vicente Sánchez filled in. Received his first red card on November 5, 2011 against Pachuca.
Saprissa
On January 6, 2014 Guadalajara loaned Michel to Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa for six months, with Saprissa having the option of extending the deal for an extra six months.
Dorados de Sinaloa
On June 10 2015 Guadalajara sold Michel to Mexico club Dorados de Sinaloa for the Apertura 2015 Michel would play with the recently promoted team but were relegated after one season in primera división.
Lobos BUAP
For the Apertura 2016, Michel would play with Lobos BUAP
International career
Mexico national team
Michel was first called up to the national side in 2007 by then-coach Hugo Sanchez, but did not play. He debuted for the national side against New Zealand and won 2–0. His second appearance was against Iceland which ended with a 0–0 draw. Michel was selected by Javier Aguirre for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad and played in the first preparation match against Ecuador, which again ended 0–0. He also appeared against Gambia in which he conceded one goal in El Tri's 5–1 victory. Michel was called to the Mexico under-22 national team as one of the over-22 reinforcements that participated in the 2011 Copa América tournament held in Argentina. He captained Mexico in all three of their group matches.
International appearances
As of July 12, 2011
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | GA | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | March 3, 2010 | Pasadena, United States |  New Zealand | 0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | March 24, 2010 | Charlotte, United States |  Iceland | 0 | 0–0 | Friendly |
| 3. | May 7, 2010 | New York City, United States |  Ecuador | 0 | 0–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | May 30, 2010 | Bayreuth, Germany |  Gambia | 1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 5. | July 4, 2011 | San Juan, Argentina |  Chile | 2 | 1–2 | 2011 Copa América |
| 6. | July 8, 2011 | Mendoza, Argentina |  Peru | 1 | 0–1 | 2011 Copa América |
| 7. | July 12, 2011 | La Plata, Argentina |  Uruguay | 1 | 0–1 | 2011 Copa América |
Sponsorships
Michel has been sponsored by Joma, Pirma, Rinat, and Puma. Michel currently has a sponsorship with Nike (boots) and Voit (gloves).
Personal life
Luis Michel married on December 11, 2009 in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has a brother that is a well known doctor in Guadalajara. His family is originally from El Grullo, Jalisco. As a kid, he split his time between Guadalajara and El Grullo where he played in the local football leagues as a goalkeeper.
Honours
Club
- Guadalajara
- Primera División (1): Apertura 2006
- InterLiga (1): 2009
- Saprissa
- Primera División (1): Verano 2014
International
- Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup (1): 2011
Individual
- League's Best Goalkeeper (2): Apertura 2007, Clausura 2008