Manuel Almunia facts for kids
Almunia warming up for West Ham United in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 May 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Pamplona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al Jazira (goalkeeping coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oberena | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1999 | Osasuna B | 46 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Osasuna | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | → Cartagonova (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Sabadell | 29 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Celta | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | → Eibar (loan) | 35 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | → Recreativo (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → Albacete (loan) | 24 | (0) |
| 2004–2012 | Arsenal | 109 | (0) |
| 2011 | → West Ham United (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Watford | 76 | (0) |
| Total | 328 | (0) | |
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Manuel Almunia Rivero (born on May 19, 1977) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a goalkeeper.
Manuel started his career in Spain's lower football leagues. He played only 26 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top league. He played for teams like Recreativo and Albacete. Before that, he began his journey at Osasuna.
Most of his career was spent with Arsenal in England. He joined them in 2004 and played 175 official matches. He helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2005. He also had a short time playing for West Ham United on loan.
In 2012, after his contract with Arsenal ended, Almunia joined Watford. He played there for two years. He then had to retire from football because of a medical issue.
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Manuel Almunia's Football Journey
Starting Out in Spain
Manuel Almunia was born in Pamplona, Spain. He began his football career in 1995 with CA Osasuna's reserve team, Osasuna B. He spent four seasons playing for them. After that, he played for other teams in the same league level, like FC Cartagonova and CE Sabadell FC.
In 2001, Almunia moved to RC Celta de Vigo, a team in Spain's top league, La Liga. However, he didn't play any official games for them. Instead, he was loaned out to other teams.
- He played for SD Eibar in the 2001–02 season. Here, he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy, which is given to the goalkeeper with the best goals-to-games ratio in the Segunda División (Spain's second division).
- He also played on loan for Recreativo de Huelva and Albacete Balompié. These teams were both in La Liga.
While at Recreativo, Manuel was a backup goalkeeper. His first game in Spain's top league was on November 17, 2002. He came on after the main goalkeeper got a red card. His team lost that game. Recreativo ended up getting relegated that season.
At Albacete, Manuel started as a backup too. But the main goalkeeper got sick, so Manuel became the first-choice. He helped his team stay in La Liga that season. His first game for Albacete was on November 9, 2003.
Playing for Arsenal
Manuel Almunia joined Arsenal in England on July 14, 2004. He was brought in to be a backup for their main goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann.
- His first game for Arsenal was on October 27, 2004, in a League Cup match against Manchester City. Arsenal won 2–1.
- His first game in the Premier League (England's top league) was on December 4, 2004, against Birmingham City.
- In the 2004–05 FA Cup, he was a hero in a penalty shootout against Sheffield United. He saved two penalties, helping Arsenal reach the quarter-finals. Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup that year, and Manuel was a substitute in the final.
In the 2005–06 season, Manuel was still the second-choice goalkeeper. But he had to play in the Champions League final against FC Barcelona. The main goalkeeper, Lehmann, was sent off early in the game. Manuel played well, but Arsenal lost 2–1.
During the 2006–07 season, Manuel played in 14 games. This included the League Cup final, which Arsenal lost to Chelsea. There was a lot of competition between Almunia and Lehmann for the starting spot.
Manuel finally became Arsenal's main goalkeeper in the 2007–08 season. He made some important saves, like stopping a penalty from Robbie Keane in a game against Tottenham Hotspur. When Lehmann left the club, Almunia was given the number one shirt.
In June 2008, he signed a new four-year contract with Arsenal. He had some amazing games, especially in the UEFA Champions League against strong teams like Manchester United and Barcelona. However, he also had some games where he didn't play as well.
For the 2010–11 season, Manuel started as the main goalkeeper again. But after a difficult game and an injury, he became the third-choice goalkeeper.
He returned to play on January 30, 2011, in an FA Cup game. On March 8, he came on as a substitute in a Champions League game against Barcelona. He made many great saves, and fans even voted him the best player of the match.
Later that season, due to injuries to other goalkeepers, Almunia became the first-choice again. But he got injured himself during a warm-up and didn't play any more games that season.
On September 30, 2011, Manuel joined West Ham United on a short loan. He played four games for them before returning to Arsenal. On May 22, 2012, Arsenal announced that Manuel would be leaving the club.
Time at Watford
In July 2012, at 35 years old, Manuel Almunia signed a one-year contract with Watford, a team in the Championship league. He played his first game for Watford on August 11, 2012, and kept a clean sheet (meaning he didn't let any goals in).
Manuel played in all of Watford's league games until February 2013, when he got a hamstring injury. He missed six games but returned in April 2013.
A very memorable moment for him at Watford happened on May 12, 2013. In a play-off semi-final game against Leicester City, Manuel made two amazing saves from a penalty kick in injury time! Right after his saves, Watford scored a goal that sent them to the final match. However, they lost that final game.
Watford signed Manuel for another year in July 2013. His manager said that his experience was very important for the team. He left Watford in June 2014 when his contract ended.
Manuel Almunia retired from football on August 28, 2014. This was because doctors found a rare heart condition during a medical check-up for a new team. In 2016, he became a goalkeeping coach for Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates.
International Football
Manuel Almunia never played for the Spanish national team. He had said that he wanted to play for the England national team if Spain didn't call him up first.
Manuel's Life Outside Football
Manuel Almunia's brother served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Kosovo. Manuel is also interested in the Second World War. He used to visit places related to the war before playing European games with Arsenal.
Honours
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2004–05
- FA Community Shield: 2004
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07, 2010–11
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06
Individual
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 2001–02 Segunda División
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Almunia para niños
