The story of Manolo González: from bus driver to coaching Espanyol

Since Chen Yansheng – owner and president – ​​bought RCD Espanyol in 2016, 11 coaches have passed through the local bench at the RCDE Stadium. In recent years, no one had generated consensus. Until now. “There is unanimity that he is the person who should save us,” says former Espanyol player Moisés Hurtado. And he adds: “At this point that is a lot.” He is Manolo González (45 years old; Lugo), the third to take office this season - after Luis García and Luis Miguel Ramis -, seasoned in modest football, who has been training for three decades. “He has broken a lot of stones,” remembers the manager of CD Ebro, Enrique Álvarez. González, knowing that his story has not been written in the elite, had to ensure the well-being of his family: he was a bus driver in Barcelona. “He is very prepared and he is not going to waste it,” claims Álvarez. In four days he has placed the blue and white team in direct promotion positions and, with the First Division in his sights, the story of him in the elite has just begun.

González's career shares little with that of many professional soccer coaches in Spain; he never played in the senior categories nor enjoyed fame that would open doors for him. Instead, he possesses unwavering perseverance. “No one has given him anything. He even debuted in amateur categories with children,” says Alfred Porcar, member of the board of directors of FC Martinenc and who saw González debut. The Galician's love story with the benches began at the age of 16, when he took charge of Martinenc's Infantil B team - at 14 he was already assistant coach - and was consolidated with a break: he suffered a torn cruciate, inner lateral ligament and meniscus of a knee, which retired him as a player at the age of 21.

Aware that football is ephemeral, the coach has made history wherever he has gone. He led Ebro to the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey against Valencia and with his beloved Badalona he eliminated Bordalás' Getafe in the KO tournament. Subsequently, he crossed the Mediterranean to qualify Peña Deportiva for the

playoff

for promotion to Primera RFEF. In 2023, the undeniable opportunity arrived: to take charge of the subsidiary of the blue and white entity and, now, of the first team. “When Espanyol calls you, everything else is superfluous. Since I was little he has been my reference,” he said in his presentation as a new member of the club. At the Peña Deportiva they still miss him: “If he had wanted, he would still be here. We were very happy".

Valedor of Gerard Moreno and then Mariano, it is his first time coaching a First or Second division team. Despite this, González is prepared to make the leap at a complex moment in the entity. “The situation is not going to be enough for him because he is a strong and mentally tough guy,” says Álvarez. The difference in category is not a problem, says Hurtado. “All locker rooms have similar complications,” he adds.

At Espanyol he applies his method of the last three decades: a millimetric study of the rival. “He spent the day watching games,” explains the Peña treasurer. “He analyzed all the opposing players, one by one, in all of his games,” she adds. This way he can anticipate all possible scenarios: “If they made a tactical change, in three seconds he had already reacted. He came to the bench and it was amazing. He had a millimeter X-ray of the rival in his head, I never saw a notebook,” says Álvarez. Without the club's means to be able to do so, he made a living: “he asked opinions of coaching friends who had met each player at some point. He had them all tracked,” explains the manager of CD Ebro.

In the analysis, detailed, and in the management of the locker room, direct and without half measures. “He doesn't hide and he has no problem telling them that they play badly,” says Álvarez. Personally, happy and folksy. “He has a huge heart,” says Mateu. Optimistic towards the future, Manolo does not forget his origins. “He still visits us regularly. Every summer he comes to the historic tournament and it's been almost 30 years since he left,” they say at FC Martinenc.

All in all, the Galician raised in Barcelona seems to be the profile that Espanyol needs, and this is believed by all the clubs the coach has visited. In the four days that he has been in charge, the team has achieved two victories - against Zaragoza and Albacete - and two draws - Tenerife and Burgos - which have earned them second place, in direct promotion positions. “I visited him at the hotel on the day of his debut and he was super calm,” explains Álvarez, who has had a relationship with the blue and white coach for 18 years. He calms down in turbulent moments and a great knowledge of the youth team seems to be the recipe they rely on at the RCDE Stadium. “He knows what it takes to get to the top and he has all the enthusiasm in the world,” Hurtado emphasizes. González is a different profile, especially concerned with the development of the squad: “With us he also acted as sports director and has a predilection for young people,” Mateu details.

González has something else that makes him special, the unanimous trust that his predecessors did not enjoy. “He has managed to unify the entire sometimes strange environment of the club,” confirms the former Espanyol player. And he adds: “He has all the support of the fans because he is a person who comes from below and the parakeet values ​​that a lot. It is very important that there is some stability.”

For the moment, his career in the first team will end with this season, which has nine games left, plus another two if Espanyol were to play

in the playoffs

. If he wants to achieve the goal, the team will have to adapt to him and he to them. “It will respond,” says the Ebro treasurer. “I hope it goes up. For Manolo, because we love him very much,” Mateu wishes. If he achieves it, he will have been promoted to the First Division in his first year as a coach in professional football. The promotion of Espanyol would also be the great promotion of Manolo González.

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