Víctor Muñoz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Víctor

Personal information
Full name	Víctor Muñoz Manrique
Date of birth	(1957-03-15) 15 March 1957 (age 68)
Place of birth	Zaragoza, Spain
Height	1.72 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
	Zaragoza
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1976–1981	Zaragoza	127	(12)
1981–1988	Barcelona	224	(14)
1988–1990	Sampdoria	48	(2)
1990–1991	St Mirren	18	(1)
1991	Zaragoza	4	(0)
Total		421	(29)
National team
1979–1980	Spain U23	7	(2)
1979–1983	Spain amateur	11	(1)
1980–1981	Spain B	3	(0)
1981–1988	Spain	60	(3)
Teams managed
1996–1997	Mallorca
1997	Logroñés
1999–2000	Lleida
2000–2002	Villarreal
2004–2006	Zaragoza
2006–2007	Panathinaikos
2007–2008	Recreativo
2008–2009	Getafe
2010–2011	Terek Grozny
2011–2012	Neuchâtel Xamax
2012–2013	Sion
2014	Zaragoza
Honours Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1984 France
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Víctor Muñoz Manrique (born 15 March 1957) is a Spanish former football player and manager. As a player, he was known simply as Víctor. He played as a midfielder.

Víctor spent most of his playing career with Barcelona. He won six major titles with them. He also played for Zaragoza in La Liga.

He played for the Spanish national team in the 1980s. He took part in the 1986 World Cup and two European Championships. After retiring as a player, he became a football manager. He led four top-division teams in Spain. He won the Copa del Rey with Zaragoza in 2004.

Víctor Muñoz: A Football Star

Víctor Muñoz was born in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. He started his football journey with his hometown club, Real Zaragoza.

Early Playing Days

Víctor began his professional career with Real Zaragoza in 1976. After his first season, the team was relegated to a lower league. However, his talent was noticed by La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona.

He joined Barcelona and became a very important player for them. He played for Barcelona for seven years. On 4 June 1983, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 win against Real Madrid. This was in the final of the Copa del Rey, a major Spanish cup competition.

Playing Abroad

Víctor was one of the first Spanish players to play in Serie A, Italy's top football league. He spent two seasons with UC Sampdoria. After his time in Italy, he had a short period playing for St Mirren in Scotland. There, he played alongside his former Barcelona teammate, Steve Archibald.

He returned to Real Zaragoza to finish his playing career. He retired at the age of 34.

Playing for Spain

Víctor was a regular player for the Spanish national team throughout the 1980s. He made his first appearance on 25 March 1981. This was in a friendly match against England, which Spain won 2–1.

He earned 59 more appearances for his country, scoring three goals. He represented Spain in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament, where Spain finished as runners-up to hosts France. He also played in the 1988 European Championship. He retired from international football after that tournament.

International Goals for Spain

Víctor scored three goals for the Spanish national team:

• His first goal was on 24 February 1982 against Scotland in a friendly match. Spain won 3–0.
• His second goal was on 17 November 1982 against the Republic of Ireland. This was during the qualifiers for Euro 1984. The match ended in a 3–3 draw.
• His third goal was on 24 September 1986 against Greece in a friendly game. Spain won 3–1.

Víctor's Playing Style

Víctor was known as a strong and energetic midfielder. He had great physical strength. This helped him to wear down his opponents during matches.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Víctor Muñoz started working as a football manager in the mid-1990s.

Managing in Spain

He managed several Spanish clubs, including RCD Mallorca, CD Logroñés, UE Lleida, Villarreal CF, and Real Zaragoza.

With Real Zaragoza, he achieved a big success. In the 2003–04 season, his team won the Spanish cup. They beat Real Madrid's famous "Galácticos" team 3–2 in extra time. He also won the Spanish Super Cup with Zaragoza in 2004.

Managing Abroad Again

On 8 October 2006, Muñoz signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos FC in Greece. He was their 18th coach in ten years! However, he returned to Spain in June 2007 to manage Recreativo de Huelva. He was later dismissed from this role in February 2008.

For the 2008–09 season, Muñoz took over as manager at Getafe CF. After a difficult period with many losses, he was replaced in April 2009.

Later Coaching Roles

After a break from football, Muñoz became the head coach of FC Terek Grozny in Russia in December 2010. However, he left after less than a month due to contract issues.

In September 2011, he returned to coaching with Neuchâtel Xamax FCS in Switzerland. He then had a short period managing FC Sion in Switzerland from December 2012 to February 2013.

On 19 March 2014, Víctor Muñoz returned to Real Zaragoza for another time as manager. The club was at risk of being relegated. He was dismissed on 24 November 2014.

Honours and Achievements

Víctor Muñoz had a very successful career as both a player and a manager.

Player Honours

Zaragoza

• Segunda División: 1977–78 (This means they won the second division league)

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1984–85 (They won the top Spanish league)
• Copa del Rey: 1982–83, 1987–88 (They won the Spanish Cup twice)
• Supercopa de España: 1983 (They won the Spanish Super Cup)
• Copa de la Liga: 1983 (They won the Spanish League Cup)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82 (They won a European club competition)

Sampdoria

• Coppa Italia: 1988–89 (They won the Italian Cup)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1989–90 (They won this European competition); runner-up: 1988–89 (They were second place the year before)

Spain National Team

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984 (Spain finished second in the European Championship)

Manager Honours

Zaragoza

• Copa del Rey: 2003–04 (He won the Spanish Cup as a manager)
• Supercopa de España: 2004 (He won the Spanish Super Cup as a manager)