Miguel Lopez (James Floyd) 2006-2007

First Regular Appearance: 10.2 (#389) Taking Your Chances  Sunday 5th November 2006

Last Regular Appearance: 10.32 (#419) The Final Whistle Part Two  Sunday 3rd June 2007

Duration: EP: 389 - 419½ SE: 10.2 – 10.32

Squad Number/Position: #9 (Striker) (2006-2007)

Last Seen: Playing his part on the pitch in Harchester’s first Premiership title win in 21 years.

Growing up in Seville, southern Spain, little-to-no competition in his skill for the ball set Miguel on a path different to anything his working-class family had ever experienced. His potential was realised as early as thirteen, spotted at football summer camp and selected for Atlético Madrid's youth academy. His four years there made Miguel self-assured in his talent, training alongside some of Europe's equally brightest stars of tomorrow. Miguel signed his professional contract with the club on his seventeenth birthday in 2000, and attention stepped up from lustful teenage girls to international supermodels, his longest relationship with Cyprian Gabrielle Taylor.

As a regularly selected member of Atlético first team, the appreciation Miguel received from those around him twisted his mindset into a one-man player, and his attitude to an arrogance that ‘what Miguel wants Miguel gets’. By his sixth year at Madrid, his manager and team mates had had enough of Miguel taking liberties, and inform his agent Tony Franks that it is their wish for him to be sold. Tony uses this to manipulate Miguel’s already inflated ego that a move to the English Premiership is the next step for him – though “club of death” Harchester United was hardly Miguel’s first destination in mind when they stepped off the plane!

Brought to the club by Alex Rose, Miguel then has to contend with being coached by a nobody like Jimmy Craig, and a commodity like Tyre Boy Jason Porter. Miguel does though take a liking to Jason’s girlfriend Katy, and makes his move at the club’s Christmas party, receiving a black-eye from Jason and a public dumping from Gabrielle. One player Miguel does rate at Harchester United is Gavin Moody, and following his split from Gabrielle, Miguel has Gavin worried he might be planning on taking a January transfer out of the club. Cindi Moody thinks she can convince Miguel to stay by introducing him to her friend Silver, and Miguel is taken in by her, only for Silver to attempt to blackmail both Tony and Gavin before Miguel learns the truth.

With the arrival of Sean Campbell to the club, Miguel forms the ‘Invincible’ trio along with Gavin, and together the three are a strong force on the pitch. A darker element to the friendship comes when Miguel introduces Gavin and Sean into his world of gambling, at Fredderick’s casino where he has a close relationship with owner J.F. When the boys become addicted following a winning streak, they suffer a downturn and end up owing J.F thousands of pounds. With Jason’s help, they win the money back on Indie racecars, but Miguel decides not to hand the money over, selfishly holding on to the cash and letting the others believe he paid J.F. When J.F confronts the boys he accidentally chokes to death on his chewing gum, with Miguel coldly watching him die and seeing it as the end to his problem.

Miguel holds the others to sticking to a story how they were celebrating Jason’s birthday when J.F died, but when Jason is accused of being Dragonslayer and denounced by the Invincibles, he confesses to the police that he is not only Dragonslayer but was alone with J.F when he died. This convinces Gavin that Jason isn’t Dragonslayer and he, Miguel and Sean are forced to admit the truth on J.F’s death in front of the team, leading to no doubt further police interest for the trio. Jason returns to the team and is present with Miguel when Harchester face Chelsea to win the club’s first Premier League title in twenty-one years.