Ex-Real Madrid winger Michel appointed Marseille boss

Marseille have wasted little time in appointing a full-time successor to Bielsa, who has been linked with the head coach role with Mexico, and turned to former Real Madrid midfielder Michel.

The former Real Madrid and Spain player, whose full name is Jose Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo, has started immediately, Marseille said on their website (www.om.net) on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old takes over from Marcelo Bielsa, who resigned after the 1-0 home defeat to Caen in their first Ligue 1 game of the season on August 8.

Bielsa’s departure was followed by a defeat to Reims in Marseille’s next league match, and the club will now look to Michel to quickly turn things around as they aim to recover from the disappointment of narrowly missing out on Champions League football last season.

His only silverware as a top-level manager came in his most recent job, at Greek club Olympiakos Piraeus, where he won two domestic league titles and one Cup crown before leaving in January. As a coach, he worked at Rayo Vallecano and took charge of the Real Madrid B team before leading Getafe to a best-ever sixth place in 2010.