Departures of note

Michel Pineda was a French-born Spanish professional footballer who played as a striker, becoming one of the most popular forwards of the Espanyol side in the 1980s. The son of Spanish immigrants, he was born in Gien, France, and began his career at Auxerre before being signed by Espanyol in 1984 on the initiative of coach Javier Azkargorta.

Over six seasons at Sarrià (1984–1990) he played 233 official matches and scored 73 goals, establishing himself as a key attacking reference. He was part of the historic Espanyol team under Javier Clemente that reached the 1988 UEFA Cup final after eliminating Milan, Inter and Bruges, contributing three goals to the run before the club lost the trophy to Bayer Leverkusen on penalties. He also experienced the club's 1989 relegation and subsequent return to the top flight.

After leaving Espanyol in 1990 he played for Toulon in France and then Racing de Santander, UE Lleida and Deportivo Alavés in Spain, retiring in 1996 with La Liga totals of 201 matches and 49 goals. In a curious twist, a 1993 goal he scored for Racing against his former club caused Espanyol's relegation, a goal he did not celebrate out of respect. He also won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Spain in 1986, and he remained a beloved figure of the Espanyol fanbase until his death at 62.