Fernando Muslera facts for kids
Muslera with Galatasaray in 2021
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Néstor Fernando Muslera Micol | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 June 1986 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Estudiantes | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Montevideo Wanderers | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Montevideo Wanderers | 44 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | → Nacional (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Lazio | 96 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2025 | Galatasaray | 551 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2025– | Estudiantes | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Uruguay U17 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Uruguay U20 | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2022 | Uruguay | 133 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 May 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
Néstor Fernando Muslera Micol (born 16 June 1986) is a professional footballer from Uruguay. He plays as a goalkeeper for the club Estudiantes in Argentina.
Muslera started his career at Montevideo Wanderers and Nacional in Uruguay. In 2007, he moved to Lazio in Italy, where he won the Italian Cup. In 2011, he joined Galatasaray in Turkey. There, he won many titles, including eight Süper Lig championships, five Turkish Cups, and six Turkish Super Cups.
From 2009 to 2022, Muslera played for the Uruguay national team over 130 times. He played in five Copa América tournaments, winning the title in 2011. He was also Uruguay's main goalkeeper in the FIFA World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2018. He helped Uruguay reach fourth place in the 2010 World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Uruguay
Fernando Muslera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His family later moved to Montevideo, Uruguay. He began his football journey at Montevideo Wanderers, where he grew up playing in their youth teams.
After showing great skill, he was loaned to another big Uruguayan club, Nacional, in 2007. His strong performances caught the eye of European clubs. Soon after, he signed with Lazio in Italy.
Time with Lazio
Lazio signed Muslera in August 2007. He played his first game for Lazio on 16 September 2007. After a tough match against Milan, he became the second-choice goalkeeper for a while. However, he played well in the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) matches.
Muslera became the main goalkeeper again in January 2009. He made many important saves, including stopping a penalty kick. Fans at Lazio called him "Castorino", which means "little beaver".
He was a key player when Lazio won the Italian Cup in 2009. In the final match, he saved two penalties in a shootout, helping Lazio win the trophy. He also played when Lazio won the Italian Super Cup in Beijing. After his great performance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he was ranked among the top goalkeepers in the world.
Moving to Galatasaray
On 19 July 2011, Muslera joined Galatasaray, a big club in Turkey. He signed a five-year contract. On 5 November 2011, he was named the best player in a match after saving his first penalty for Galatasaray.
On 8 April 2012, Muslera scored his first goal ever from a penalty kick. In the same match, he also kept his 19th clean sheet (meaning the other team didn't score) of the season. This set a new league record.
Success in Turkey
Muslera continued to be Galatasaray's main goalkeeper. In September 2012, he played his first UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United. Even though Galatasaray lost, he saved a penalty. He helped Galatasaray win the league title in 2013.
In November 2013, Muslera had a toe injury and missed some matches. But he still played in most of the league games that season. He extended his contract with Galatasaray until 2018.
In the 2014–15 season, Muslera played 31 matches as Galatasaray won the league title again. He missed the Turkish Cup final because he was playing for Uruguay in the 2015 Copa América.
Later Years at Galatasaray
On 14 June 2020, Muslera suffered a serious leg injury during a league match. He recovered and continued to play for Galatasaray. On 27 February 2021, he played his 300th league match for the club. This made him the foreign player with the most appearances in the Süper Lig's history.
On 13 December 2021, Muslera had another injury to his left knee after colliding with a teammate. He worked hard to recover.
Muslera helped Galatasaray win their sixth Süper Lig title in the 2022–23 season. In May 2023, Galatasaray won their 23rd championship.
On 24 January 2025, Muslera played his 429th Süper Lig match for Galatasaray. This made him the player with the most games played for Galatasaray in the league's history, passing a club legend. On 18 May 2025, he scored his second career goal from a penalty kick. This goal helped Galatasaray win the league title.
On 29 May 2025, Muslera announced that his next match would be his last for Galatasaray. He won a total of 19 trophies during his time with the club.
Joining Estudiantes
On 24 June 2025, Muslera moved to the Argentine club Estudiantes. He signed a contract with them until December 2026.
International Career
Fernando Muslera was called up to the Uruguay national team many times. He played his first game for Uruguay on 10 October 2009.
2010 FIFA World Cup
Muslera played his first World Cup match on 11 June 2010. He kept a clean sheet in all three of Uruguay's group matches. In the quarter-final against Ghana, he saved two penalties in a shootout. He was a very important part of the Uruguay team that reached the semi-finals and finished fourth in the tournament.
2011 Copa América Victory
Muslera was chosen as the main goalkeeper for Uruguay in the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. He was named the best player in the quarter-final against Argentina. In that match, he saved a penalty, helping Uruguay win the shootout. Uruguay went on to win the Copa América title, beating Paraguay 3–0 in the final. Muslera played every minute of Uruguay's winning journey.
Later International Matches
Muslera was Uruguay's main goalkeeper in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América. He played in all of Uruguay's games in the Copa América Centenario in 2016.
In May 2018, Muslera was part of Uruguay's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 20 June, he played his 13th World Cup match, equaling a record for Uruguayan footballers. On 25 June, he broke that record with his 14th World Cup game. This match was also his 100th game for Uruguay, and he kept his third clean sheet in a row in the tournament. In the quarter-final against France, Uruguay lost 2–0.
On 6 September 2019, Muslera was the captain for Uruguay for the first time in a friendly match. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he was no longer the first-choice goalkeeper. In January 2023, Muslera received a ban for four matches from FIFA for his behavior after a World Cup match.
On 25 April 2024, Muslera announced that he was retiring from the national team.
Playing Style
Muslera is known as an amazing goalkeeper. He is especially good at stopping shots and is very strong in the air.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Montevideo Wanderers | 2004 | Uruguayan Primera División | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | Uruguayan Primera División | 29 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Uruguayan Primera División | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Uruguayan Primera División | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 0 | — | — | — | 44 | 0 | |||||
| Nacional | 2006–07 | Uruguayan Primera División | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | Uruguayan Primera División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Lazio | 2007–08 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| Total | 96 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 113 | 0 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Süper Lig | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Süper Lig | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Süper Lig | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| Total | 443 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 551 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 588 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 713 | 2 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2009 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 133 | 0 | |
Honours and Awards
Club Trophies
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, 2024–25
- Turkish Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2024–25
- Turkish Super Cup: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023
International Trophies
Uruguay
- Copa América: 2011
Individual Awards
- 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
