Fernando Muslera facts for kids
Muslera with Galatasaray in 2021
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 June 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Montevideo Wanderers | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Montevideo Wanderers | 44 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | → Nacional (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Lazio | 96 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011– | Galatasaray | 428 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Uruguay U17 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Uruguay U20 | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2022 | Uruguay | 133 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Néstor Fernando Muslera Micol (born 16 June 1986) is a famous Uruguayan footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper and is the captain for the Turkish club Galatasaray.
Muslera started his career in Uruguay with Montevideo Wanderers and Nacional. In 2007, he moved to Italy to play for Lazio. There, he helped them win the Italian Cup in 2009.
In 2011, he joined Galatasaray in Turkey. He has achieved great success there, winning seven Süper Lig titles, four Turkish Cups, and six Turkish Super Cups.
Fernando Muslera has also played for the Uruguay national team since 2009. He has played in over 130 international matches. He won the Copa América in 2011 and was Uruguay's main goalkeeper in three FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018). He helped Uruguay reach fourth place in the 2010 World Cup.
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Uruguay: Wanderers and Nacional
Fernando Muslera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His family later moved to Montevideo, Uruguay. He began his football journey in the youth system of Montevideo Wanderers.
After showing great talent, he was loaned to another big Uruguayan club, Nacional, in 2007. His strong performances quickly caught the eye of European clubs.
Playing in Italy: Lazio Success
In August 2007, Muslera joined Lazio in Italy. He made his first appearance for Lazio in a 3–1 win against Cagliari. Early on, he had some tough games. However, he soon became a key player for the team.
Muslera became the first-choice goalkeeper for Lazio in January 2009. He made many important saves, including stopping a penalty against Sampdoria. Fans even called him "Castorino", meaning "little beaver".
He played a big part in Lazio winning the Italian Cup in 2009. In the final match, he saved two penalties in a shootout, helping Lazio win 6–5. This was a huge moment for him and the club. He also played when Lazio won the Italian Super Cup in Beijing.
After his great performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was named one of the top goalkeepers in the world.
Moving to Turkey: Galatasaray Triumphs
On 19 July 2011, Muslera joined Galatasaray, a major club in Turkey. He signed a five-year contract. This move showed how much Galatasaray believed in his talent.
In his first season, Muslera made history. On 8 April 2012, he scored his first career goal from a penalty kick. He also kept 19 clean sheets (games where the opponent doesn't score) that season, which was a new league record. Galatasaray won the league title that year.
Continued Success and Milestones
Muslera quickly became Galatasaray's most important goalkeeper. In September 2012, he played his first UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United. He even saved a penalty in that game. Galatasaray won the league title again in 2013.
He extended his contract with Galatasaray until 2018. He continued to help the team win many more titles. He won the league title in 2015.
In June 2020, Muslera suffered a serious leg injury during a match. However, he worked hard to recover and returned to play. On 27 February 2021, he played his 300th league match for Galatasaray. This broke the record for a foreign player in the Süper Lig.
In December 2021, he had another injury to his knee. But he recovered again and kept playing. Muslera won his sixth Süper Lig title with Galatasaray in the 2022–23 season. The team secured their 23rd championship in history. He also won his seventh league title in the 2023–24 season.
International Career with Uruguay
Fernando Muslera was called up to the Uruguay national team many times. He finally played his first international match on 10 October 2009. It was a 2–1 win against Ecuador.
2010 FIFA World Cup Performance
Muslera made his World Cup debut on 11 June 2010 against France. He kept a clean sheet in all three of Uruguay's group matches. This means no goals were scored against him.
In the quarter-final match against Ghana, he was crucial. He saved two penalties in the shootout, helping Uruguay win. He was a key player as Uruguay reached the semi-finals and finished fourth in the tournament.
Winning the 2011 Copa América
Muslera was the main goalkeeper for Uruguay at the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. In the quarter-final against Argentina, he was named man of the match. He saved a penalty from Carlos Tevez in the shootout, which helped Uruguay win.
Uruguay went on to win the Copa América title. They defeated Paraguay 3–0 in the final. Muslera played every minute of every game in this winning campaign.
Later International Appearances
Muslera was also Uruguay's first-choice goalkeeper at the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Copa América. He played in all of Uruguay's games.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, he set a new record. He became the Uruguayan footballer with the most World Cup appearances. He also played his 100th match for his country in the same tournament.
On 6 September 2019, Muslera became the captain of the Uruguay national team for the first time. In January 2023, he received a ban for four matches from FIFA. This was for his actions after a World Cup match against Ghana. On April 25, 2024, Muslera announced he was retiring from the national team.
Style of Play
Fernando Muslera is known for being an amazing goalkeeper. He is very acrobatic and great at stopping shots. He is also very good at handling balls in the air.
Honours
Lazio
- Coppa Italia: 2008–09
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2009
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Turkish Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19
- Turkish Super Cup: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023
Uruguay
Individual
- Turkish Footballer of the Year: 2016
- Süper Lig Goalkeeper of the season: 2017–18
- Süper Lig Team of the Year: 2014–15, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Muslera para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
