Miguel de Andrés Barace is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Ochagavía, Navarre, de Andrés joined Athletic Bilbao's youth system, Lezama, in 1975, after reported interest from both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The Basques paid his previous club 400.000 pesetas, having to spend an additional 5 million if the player made his debut with the first team. After two years with the reserves in the lower leagues and one season with CD Castellón in Segunda División, on loan, 20-year-old de Andrés returned to his alma mater, being awarded a chance with the main squad by Helmut Senekowitsch – formerly in charge of the Austrian national team – and making his La Liga debut on 9 September 1979 in a 1–2 away defeat against UD Salamanca. Early into the 1980–81 campaign, the Austrian manager was fired after a 1–7 loss at Real Madrid, but de Andrés kept his place in the starting XI. He would eventually start in every league match he appeared for Athletic, although he rarely played in his preferred position, sweeper, being mostly deployed as a defensive midfielder; under Javier Clemente, he contributed with 55 games and four goals as the team won back-to-back domestic leagues. On 9 February 1983, as Bilbao went on to win the first of its two leagues, de Andrés, who possessed a powerful shot with both legs, scored twice from long range in a 5–2 home win against RCD Español during a heavy snowfall at the San Mamés Stadium. The following year, he started in the Copa del Rey final as his team completed the double after the 1–0 win against Barcelona in Madrid, but was also one of six players suspended – the punishment was later lifted – after the battleground that followed the final whistle. 1986–87, in which legendary player José Ángel Iribar replaced Clemente as head coach, was disastrous for de Andrés: he suffered an injury against Sporting de Gijón in the first matchday, going on to experience several relapses, and was suspended by the club after refusing to appear in a cup match against CD Logroñés; reappearing against Real Madrid in the 31st round, as Bilbao struggled to avoid falling into the relegation group, his knee was shattered after opponent Ricardo Gallego fell on it, and he never appeared for the Lions again. Howard Kendall was appointed Athletic Bilbao's manager in 1987, but de Andrés retired from football after one year in the sidelines, at the age of only 31, with 267 official appearances for Athletic. Subsequently, he worked for the club as a scout.
