Miguel Ángel Angulo

Miguel Ángel Angulo Valderrey (born 23 June 1977) is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently manager of Valencia CF Mestalla. Predominantly an attacking midfielder, he was also able to play as a right winger and even as a right-back or a forward.

Basing his football on inexhaustible physical display, Angulo was much appreciated by trainers because of his versatility, and spent most of his career at Valencia where he won a total of seven major titles, including two La Liga championships and the 2004 UEFA Cup.

Valencia
Born in Oviedo, Asturias, Angulo began his football career with local Sporting de Gijón, joining Valencia CF in January 1996 at the age of 18. After spending some time with the reserves he was loaned in the 1996–97 campaign to Segunda División club Villarreal CF, before returning to Valencia the following summer.

Angulo made 434 competitive appearances and scored 67 goals during his spell at the Mestalla Stadium, being a very important element in the Che's La Liga conquest in 2002 and 2004 (totalling six goals in 48 games), while also starting in the 2004 UEFA Cup final which they won after defeating Olympique de Marseille; he scored as a substitute in wins at Maccabi Haifa F.C. and Beşiktaş J.K. in earlier rounds. Due to the ageing of the previous starter, Frenchman Jocelyn Angloma, he played several matches as an attacking right-back, as the team operated mainly in a 5–3–2 formation.

In summer 2004, Angulo pulled out of a transfer to Arsenal after a last-minute change of heart. His agent claimed this was due to the player's anxiety at moving to London; he had already completed part of his medical. He continued to be heavily played by Valencia in the following three seasons, netting 15 times in 93 league games. On 15 December 2004, he was handed a seven-match ban by UEFA after being sent off in a UEFA Cup tie against SV Werder Bremen where he kicked Nelson Valdez and subsequently spat on Tim Borowski.

On 20 December 2007, Angulo, along with Santiago Cañizares and David Albelda, was axed from the squad by new coach Ronald Koeman. In late April of the following year, however, with Koeman's sacking, all three were reinstated by new manager Voro in a squad seriously threatened with relegation, with five remaining fixtures. On 27 April he returned to action, playing five minutes in a 3–0 home win over CA Osasuna after having come on as a substitute for David Villa. He started his first post-reinstatement match two weeks later, scoring in a 5–1 away rout of already relegated Levante UD.

Sporting CP
In August 2009, after a mediocre campaign individually, Angulo was released by Valencia, thus ending a 14-year relationship. Late in the same month he agreed to a one-year contract with Sporting CP, but after just four months, he was released by the Lisbon club, grossly unsettled, and pondered his retirement, which was confirmed the following week.

Coaching
Angulo returned to Valencia as a coach, being hired at the Infantil B team in 2014. The following December, he moved up from the under-19s to be assistant to Gary Neville in the main squad, alongside the Englishman's brother Phil. He was dismissed alongside the head coach in late March 2016.

After three years back in the youth ranks, Angulo was hired as manager of the reserve side on 17 June 2021. In his first season, he won promotion from the fifth-tier Tercera División RFEF as group champions. After missing out on a second consecutive promotion by a late single-goal defeat to CP Cacereño in the 2023 Segunda Federación play-offs, he extended his contract to 2025.

International career
Angulo made his debut for Spain on 17 November 2004, in a 1–0 friendly win against England played in Madrid. Going on to collect 11 caps, he never took part in any major tournament, however.

Angulo also represented the nation at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship (five appearances) and the 2000 Summer Olympics (five), helping to a runner-up finish in the latter competition. He also played in Asturias' first representative game since 1936 the same year, a 1–0 victory over Macedonia in his hometown.

Club

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International

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Honours
Valencia
 * La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
 * Copa del Rey: 1998–99
 * Supercopa de España: 1999
 * UEFA Cup: 2003–04
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2004
 * UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1998
 * UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999–2000

Spain U18
 * UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1995

Spain U21
 * UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1998

Spain U23
 * Summer Olympics silver medal: 2000