Miquel Soler

Miquel Soler Sarasols (born 16 March 1965) is a Spanish retired football player and manager.

Mainly a left-back who could also operate as a wide midfielder, his career spanned two La Liga decades (with 652 competitive matches), and he was the only player to represent both Barcelona and Madrid main clubs.

Soler appeared for Spain at Euro 1988.

Club career
Born in Girona, Catalonia, Soler was a RCD Espanyol youth graduate, making his first-team – and La Liga – debut in the 1983–84 season and becoming first-choice following a loan to neighbouring CE L'Hospitalet. In his fourth year, as the club finished third after the second stage, he appeared in 41 out of 42 games and scored two goals, going on to help it to reach the final of the 1987–88 UEFA Cup, netting in the 3–0 home win in the first leg as the Pericos eventually lost on penalties against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Subsequently, Soler joined FC Barcelona, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in his first season while also playing 23 matches in the league. After a sole campaign with Atlético Madrid, where he won his second Copa del Rey, he returned to Barcelona, with no impact.

After two excellent years with Sevilla FC, still on loan from Barcelona, Soler moved to Real Madrid, but appeared scarcely during 1995–96 (his only season) as coach Arsenio Iglesias was ordered by chairman Lorenzo Sanz not to utilise him as he would be automatically renewed if he played the required number of 20 matches. Following a spell with Real Zaragoza he was still able, at 33, to sign for RCD Mallorca, where he made a further 152 top-flight appearances, winning another domestic cup and retiring at the end of 2002–03; he totalled 504 games at that level, scoring 11 times.

Soler started working as a manager with Mallorca's reserves, going on to be in charge of the team for three years, two in the Segunda División B. In the summer of 2014, he was appointed at the helm of the main squad in the Segunda División, being relieved of his duties one month later following a directorial change but returning in February 2015 after his successor Valery Karpin was dismissed.

International career
Soler won nine caps for the Spain national side, and represented the nation at UEFA Euro 1988, where he appeared in the win against Denmark (playing the second half) and the loss to Italy. His debut came in a Euro 1988 qualifier in Bucharest, a 3–1 defeat against Romania on 29 April 1987.

Honours
Barcelona
 * La Liga: 1990–91, 1992–93
 * Copa del Rey: 1989–90
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1988–89; runner-up: 1990–91

Atlético Madrid
 * Copa del Rey: 1991–92

Mallorca
 * Copa del Rey: 2002–03
 * Supercopa de España: 1998
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1998–99