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Graham Hunter
Multiple Authors
By appointing the King Midas of Spanish football at Espanyol, and continuing Monchi’s eight-year love-in with U.S. soccer investors, has Alan Pace stolen a march on everyone in the dog-eat-dog battle for LaLiga survival?
Monchi (real name, Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo) is the former Sevilla goalkeeper who, in his day, shared a dressing room with Diego Maradona, Diego Simeone, Davor Suker and Ivan “Bam Bam” Zamorano. Once he made the transition from second-string keeper to orchestra leader — aka director of football — back when Sevilla were relegated a quarter of a century ago, he kickstarted arguably the greatest resurrection in European football this century.
Monchi identified, signed or developed footballers like Dani Alves, Julio Baptista, Sergio Ramos, José Antonio Reyes, Seydou Keita, Ivan Rakitic and Luís Fabiano/ Collectively, they racked up more trophies than Sevilla had previously won in their entire history, and were all then transferred for hundreds of millions of euros in profit. Hence the idea that he became Spanish football’s King Midas, turning everything he touched to gold.
Now, as of Monday, he’s sporting director general at the club where Pace, a former Wall Street banker and Real Salt Lake president, is majority shareholder and counts the all-time NFL defensive legend JJ Watt as an enthusiastic backer.
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Explaining his decision to sign for Los Pericos (the Parakeets) right now, with only three matches remaining and Espanyol having plummeted towards LaLiga relegation, failing to win once in 2026, Monchi was bold in suggesting he might be their immediate saviour.
“I joined as quickly as possible because I believe that any little boost can benefit the club right now,” he said. “With a sense of frustration and humility, but also with experience, I want to help right away. I’m delighted to be at Espanyol because from the first moment I felt affection and respect in my conversations with Alan Pace. I’ve come to try and contribute in the future, but also right now in the present.”
The 57-year-old isn’t the coach, and he’s not a new striker, either. But the clear implication is that the owners, having watched long-time club employee (and former bus driver) Manolo González look more at sea with each bad result (they last won in December, ironically away to Wednesday’s rivals Athletic Club) Monchi now has the power to tell the coach who to pick, what system to play and how to wriggle out of this unholy mess that has Espanyol hovering just above the relegation zone.
It would be an horrendous outcome for Pace and his ownership company ALK, especially given that his other soccer investment, Burnley, have just been dumped out of England’s Premier League. The “double” has always been a famous term in football — but not that kind.
Espanyol’s hapless plight looks all the more baffling given that when they last won, it was their fifth straight victory. At one stage of this season, they were in Champions League contention; and when Watt was still free from his NFL commentary duties last August, he was at the RCDE Stadium to watch his new investment win 2-1 against future Copa del Rey finalists and Champions League semifinalists Atlético Madrid 2-1.
Back then, at a time when Monchi looked more likely to be part of a buyout at Sevilla, Watt was exuberant about Espanyol. He buzzed on social media, having had a couple of prematch cervezas with the home fans: “Tonight we saw the best of Espanyol. We saw what can be achieved when the team and the fans unite. One heartbeat. One mission.
“There will be many more pre-game beers in the future! We are in excellent hands with Alan Pace, who only wants the best for the club and its future. Thank you for an incredible opening night. One I will never forget. Força Mágico Espanyol!”
Watt isn’t yet sufficiently embedded in European soccer culture to have helped select Monchi. But the Pro Bowl legend knows the value of someone who has vision, who plans, who inspires and who leads an outfit — not just coaches a team.
In 2011, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips famously clambered up on the table in the Houston Texans’ offices and stomped his foot down to insist that they sign Watt. Over the years, the appreciation was returned: “I love Wade,” Watt has said. “Early on, he instilled confidence in me before I had confidence in myself. Just to have a guy who believes in you that much, who sees something in you that you might not even see in yourself at that time: it gave me all the confidence I needed to really go out there and be the best I can be.”
Those words unquestionably describe the guru effect — the all-seeing, all-knowing reputation that Monchi has enjoyed almost from his first days as a rookie director of football at Sevilla 26 years ago.
But to go back to my point about Monchi continuing a “love-in” with U.S. investment funds or millionaires, it’s worth noting that not all his projects have hit the mark.
At AS Roma, after Monchi left Sevilla for the first time in 2017, he was instrumental in helping them reach the Champions League semifinal (Roma lost the quarterfinal, first leg 4-1 to Barça, but thrillingly eliminated Messi & Co. 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico).
But although Monchi was following Boston-born James Pallotta’s blueprint of cashing in on major talents, things soured between them. The Spaniard left halfway through his contract and Pallotta has been critical of his work, stating: “I’m surprised Monchi says the club was going in one direction and he in another. I gave him the keys to bring all of this to life. I gave him total control to hire the coach he wanted, to hire technical staff and coaches, to manage scouting, and to buy the players he preferred. It’s clear that this hasn’t worked.”
One of the departing players, Radja Nainggolan, who went to join Inter Milan in a €38 million transfer, said at the time that: “if I had stayed in Rome with Monchi, I would have started a world war every day. I had a clash of opinions with him.”
Monchi admitted: “I never managed to ‘be Monchi’ during those couple of years. I lacked knowledge of some fundamental aspects. I know I made mistakes — I admit it. I didn’t even have time to learn. But I’m not looking for an excuse. The responsibility is 95% mine.”
Back at Sevilla for a handful of seasons, there was the ultimate irony that their last trophy for which Monchi could claim credit was the 2023 Europa League victory — over Roma. While there, though, there was a physical confrontation with Isco after which the midfielder accused Monchi of grabbing him by the neck during an argument. Isco rescinded his contract, left and in due course became hugely influential and successful at Real Betis, Sevilla’s city rivals.
In the recent podcast El Cafelito, Monchi confessed: “People used to call me the ‘hothead’ kid because I get angry very easily, I have a short fuse. I didn’t grab Isco by the neck, no, but I behaved inappropriately with him. Not through any fault of my own, because someone provoked him, but I regret it and I apologize.”
Now, Monchi will move to the opposite end of the country, in Espanyol’s most desperate time of need, having helped Aston Villa’s U.S.-born co-owner, Wes Edens — the Montana billionaire who co-founded Fortress Investment Group and co-owns the Milwaukee Bucks — build a squad that’s now one win away from lifting their first European trophy since 1982, and their first of any kind since 1996.
Espanyol have signed a winner, a football fanatic, a guy who has both that sought-after, magical Midas touch — and a volatile temper. Now, can he help keep them in LaLiga?
