Pineda dies, the friend of Cantona who exalted (and condemned) Espanyol

Michel Pineda, Espanyol's 25th most-capped player with 233 appearances and a UEFA Cup finalist in 1988, has died aged 62.

Michel Pineda, a striker who became one of Espanyol's most loyal servants, has died at the age of 62. Born in Gien, France on 9 June 1964, Pineda represented Spain at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and won the 1986 UEFA U-21 Championship, qualifying through his Basque parents.

Pineda began his career at Auxerre, where he roomed with and befriended Eric Cantona under legendary coach Guy Roux. When Espanyol signed him in 1984, he advised the club to also recruit Cantona, though the Frenchman could not join due to foreign player restrictions. Pineda scored 73 goals in 233 appearances for Espanyol between 1984 and 1990, helping the club secure promotion back to La Liga. He was also part of the squad that reached the 1988 UEFA Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen, contributing two goals in the competition.

Pineda later played for Toulon, Lleida and Alavés before joining Racing Santander. Tragically, he scored the only goal in Racing's 1–0 victory over Espanyol on 23 June 1993 in the promotion playoff, a result that sent Espanyol down to the second division. Despite his role in that painful moment, Pineda remained a devoted Espanyol supporter for the rest of his life. He is survived by two daughters.