Miguel Ángel Nadal

Miguel Ángel Nadal Homar (Spanish pronunciation: [miˈɣel ˈaŋxel naˈðal oˈmaɾ], Catalan: Miquel Àngel Nadal Homar; born 28 July 1966) is a Spanish retired footballer. Nicknamed The Beast,[1] he based his game in a tremendous physical display, also being adaptable to various defender and midfielder positions.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Nadal and the second or maternal family name is Homar.

Miguel Ángel Nadal
Nadal in 2016
Personal information
Full name Miguel Ángel Nadal Homar
Date of birth (1966-07-28) 28 July 1966
Place of birth Manacor, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Youth career
1980–1983 Manacor
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1986 Manacor
1986–1987 Mallorca B 20 (1)
1987–1991 Mallorca 130 (22)
1991–1999 Barcelona 208 (12)
1999–2005 Mallorca 149 (6)
Total 507 (41)
National team
1991–2002 Spain 62 (3)
Teams managed
2010–2011 Mallorca (assistant)
2011 Mallorca (caretaker)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He began and ended his career with Mallorca, but his greatest achievements came whilst at Barcelona during the so-called Dream Team era. Over 19 professional seasons, he played 492 matches (462 of those in La Liga).

A very important part of Spain's setup during the 1990s and early 2000s, Nadal represented the nation in three World Cups and at Euro 1996. In 2007, The Times placed him at number 47 in their list of the 50 hardest footballers in history.[2]

Club career

Born in Manacor, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Nadal made his debut in La Liga with local RCD Mallorca, first appearing on 19 April 1987 against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou. In his final two seasons, after helping in a 1989 promotion from Segunda División, he scored 12 goals from 72 league appearances, thus being acquired by the Catalonia club for the 1991–92 campaign.[3]

With Barça, under Johan Cruyff, Nadal was a very important part in the conquest of five leagues, two Copa del Rey and the 1992 European Cup, playing in over 300 overall games and occupying several defensive positions in both the back-four and in midfield. In his last year, however, ostracised by another Dutch coach, Louis van Gaal, he only appeared in two matches; in 1996 and 1997 he was linked with a transfer to Manchester United, but the move to the Premier League never materialised.[1]

Subsequently Nadal returned to Mallorca, starting strong and only missing 11 contests in his first three seasons combined, while also being important in the 2003 domestic cup conquest.[4] He retired from the game at almost 39, having appeared in nearly 700 official matches.[5]

In July 2010, five years after his retirement, Nadal returned to Mallorca, joining the coaching staff under Michael Laudrup, his Barcelona teammate during three seasons. As the Dane left the club in late September 2011 following a run-in with director Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, Nadal was in charge for one game, a 2–2 away draw against CA Osasuna, but he too left the following week.[6]

International career

Nadal earned 62 caps for Spain, his debut coming on 13 November 1991 in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier dead rubber against Czechoslovakia (the national team had virtually no chances of reaching the finals in Sweden).[7] He went on to appear with the country in three FIFA World Cups.

Additionally, Nadal missed a penalty at Wembley Stadium against England, in a Euro 1996 shootout loss.[8] After appearing in four complete matches at the 2002 World Cup, at almost 36, he retired from the international scene.[9]

International goals

[9]

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.16 November 1994Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain Denmark1–03–0Euro 1996 qualifying
2.30 November 1994La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain Finland1–02–0Friendly
3.5 September 2001Rheinpark, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein0–20–22002 World Cup qualification

Personal life

Nadal was the paternal uncle of professional tennis player Rafael Nadal, whilst his brother Toni was Rafael's coach.[10][11][12]

Honours

Barcelona

Mallorca

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References
  1. "The beauty of the beast". The Guardian. 11 September 2001. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  2. "Top 50 hardest footballers". Empire. 13 August 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. Busquets, Damià (18 February 2009). "Jugadores de ayer y de hoy: Miguel Ángel Nadal" [Players from tomorrow and today: Miguel Ángel Nadal] (in Spanish). RCDM. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  4. Miguelez, José (29 June 2003). "Eto'o pone Mallorca a brindar" [Eto'o has Mallorca toasting]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. "Miguel Angel Nadal anunció este viernes su retirada" [Miguel Angel Nadal announced retirement this Friday] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 4 March 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. "Miguel Ángel Nadal hace oficial su marcha del Mallorca" [Miguel Ángel Nadal makes departure from Mallorca official]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 October 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  7. Román, Rogelio (14 November 1991). "España, de penalty y regalado" [Spain, from a gifted penalty]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  8. "Hosts England first team into last four". UEFA. 6 October 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. Pla Diaz, Emilio. "Miguel Ángel Nadal Homar – International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  10. Menéndez, Manu (17 July 2005). "Rafa Nadal también golea" [Rafa Nadal also scores]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  11. "Miquel Ángel Nadal dice que la derrota "ha dignificado a Rafa"" [Miquel Ángel Nadal says defeat "has dignified Rafa"]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). 13 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  12. "Rafael Nadal". ESPN. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
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