Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero ( born May 19, 1977 in Pamplona ) is a Spanish football goalkeeper, who stands at Watford FC, a club from the 2nd league in England under contract.
Career
Almunia was for one year that the teams Recreativo de Huelva (2002/ 03) and Celta Vigo ( 2003/ 04), until he was loaned to the southern Spanish club Albacete Balompié, for whom he played 24 premiership football bets. In 2004 he moved to FC Arsenal, in which he came second behind Jens Lehmann. That same season, he managed to oust the Germans for a short time, Almunia lost his place between the posts after ten games but again. In the first two games of the season of the Premier League season 2007/ 08 Lehmann happened in each case a serious mistake. When he drew upon a capsule sprain in the ankle, Almunia moved into the starting lineup. He played error-free games and ultimately secured his place, which he kept even after recovering Lehmann.
A sporting highlight of his career was the game in the Champions League final of the season 2005/06. Almunia came on in the 19th minute after Jens Lehmann was sent off with red. Despite his efforts, subject to his team in this game, the FC Barcelona 2-1.
For the Spanish national team Almunia played no game, even in the youth field, he did not represent the country. For this reason, he might accumulate in the UK, for example, for the English national team after naturalization. In this regard, he announced, for example, through the club's own station "Arsenal TV" in January 2008, his interest in the " Three Lions ".
On 30 September 2011 Manuel Almunia was awarded for a month at West Ham United.
Achievements / Title
Association
- FA Cup winner: 2005
- FA Community Shield: 2004
- Champions League Runners-up: 2005/ 06
- League Cup Runners-up: 2007, 2011
Personal Awards
- Trofeo Zamora Trophy: 2001/ 02