Pedro Munitis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pedro Munitis

Munitis in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Pedro Munitis Álvarez
Date of birth	(1975-06-19) 19 June 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	Santander, Spain
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Santoña
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1993	Santoña
1993–1997	Racing B
1995–2000	Racing Santander	83	(14)
1997–1998	→ Badajoz (loan)	28	(10)
2000–2003	Real Madrid	53	(4)
2002–2003	→ Racing Santander (loan)	30	(8)
2003–2006	Deportivo La Coruña	90	(5)
2006–2012	Racing Santander	191	(12)
Total		475	(53)
International career
1999–2002	Spain	21	(2)
Managerial career
2012–2014	Reocín Women
2014–2015	Bansander (youth)
2015	Racing Santander (assistant)
2015–2016	Racing Santander
2016–2017	Ponferradina
2018–2019	UCAM Murcia
2020	Badajoz
2021–2022	Sabadell
2023	Lugo
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pedro Munitis Álvarez (born on June 19, 1975) is a Spanish former footballer. He played mostly as a forward. Today, he is a manager for football teams.

Pedro spent most of his playing career with Racing de Santander. He also played for Real Madrid for two years. He played in 447 La Liga matches over 17 seasons, scoring 43 goals.

Munitis also played for the Spanish national team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He represented Spain at the Euro 2000 tournament.

Pedro Munitis: A Football Star

Playing for Clubs

Pedro Munitis was born in Santander, Cantabria. He played for his hometown club, Racing de Santander, at three different times in his career. His first game for the main team was on January 22, 1995. It was a 0–0 draw against Real Sociedad.

After playing well for Racing, Munitis joined the famous club Real Madrid in 2000. He played for them for two years. During this time, he helped Real Madrid win one league title and the Champions League.

In the 2002–03 season, Munitis returned to Racing Santander on loan. He even scored a goal against his former team, Real Madrid, in a 2–0 win. After that, he moved to Deportivo de La Coruña for free. He became an important attacking player for them. He sometimes played as a left winger.

Munitis went back to Racing in July 2006. He played well with Serbian player Nikola Žigić. In his second season back, he helped Racing qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time ever. On April 19, 2009, he played his 200th league match for Racing.

In the 2009–10 season, Munitis was a regular starter. He didn't score any goals in 29 games that season. His season ended early due to a knee injury in April 2010. At that time, he was second in the league for assists, just behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

On October 17, 2010, Munitis scored a goal from 30 meters away. It was the only goal in a home game against Almería. In the 2011–12 season, he played in 32 matches but didn't score. Racing Santander was relegated to the second division that year. Munitis then announced he would leave his main club.

Playing for Spain

Munitis played 21 games for the Spanish national team and scored two goals. He played for Spain at UEFA Euro 2000. He came on as a substitute and scored in a 4–3 win against Yugoslavia. He also started in the quarter-final game against France, which Spain lost 2–1.

His first game for Spain was on March 27, 1999. It was a Euro 2000 qualifier against Austria. He played for 30 minutes in a big 9–0 win in Valencia.

International Goals for Spain

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	August 18, 1999	Polish Army, Warsaw, Poland	Poland	1–2	1–2	Friendly
2.	June 21, 2000	Jan Breydel, Bruges, Belgium	Yugoslavia	2–2	3–4	Euro 2000

Pedro Munitis: Style of Play

Munitis was known as a "poacher" in football. He could play as a forward or a midfielder. He was often used as a left winger. He was one of the shortest players in the Spanish top league.

He was famous for his speed, dribbling skills, and creative play. He was also known for his fighting spirit. This made him a dangerous player near the goal. Defenders found him hard to mark. The French player Lilian Thuram even said Munitis was one of his toughest opponents.

Coaching Career

Pedro Munitis started his coaching career even before he officially retired from playing. He first coached a women's football team called Reocín. In 2014, he coached youth teams at Bansander.

Munitis returned to Racing Santander on March 3, 2015, as an assistant manager. He worked with his former teammate Gonzalo Colsa. After Racing was relegated, Munitis became the main coach for the team in Segunda División B. They won their group, but did not get promoted. He left in June 2016.

On October 17, 2016, Munitis became the manager of Ponferradina. He resigned five months later.

Munitis coached UCAM Murcia from March 2018 to April 2019. He then coached Badajoz from February to October 2020.

He was appointed manager of Sabadell in November 2021. He helped the team move out of the relegation zone. He left in June 2022 after turning down a new contract.

On June 21, 2023, Munitis took charge of Lugo. However, he was sacked on December 16, 2023.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2000–01
• UEFA Champions League: 2001–02

See also

In Spanish: Pedro Munitis para niños

• List of La Liga players (400+ appearances)