Name Gustavo Munua Career start 1997 Years Team Weight 87 kg | 1986–1997 Nacional Height 1.89 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Full name Gustavo Adolfo Munua Vera Date of birth (1978-01-27) 27 January 1978 (age 37) Current team Club Nacional de Football (#12 / Goalkeeper) Team coached Club Nacional de Football (Manager, since 2015) Similar People Ivan Alonso, Diego Polenta, Alvaro Gutierrez, Gonzalo Porras, Sebastian Fernandez | ||
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
Nacional oficial presentacion de gustavo munua como entrenador
Gustavo Adolfo Munúa Vera (born 27 January 1978) is a Uruguayan former footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and the current coach of Ecuadorian club L.D.U. Quito.
Contents
- Nacional oficial presentacion de gustavo munua como entrenador
- Especial GOLTV 1a1 con Gustavo Muna 1ra parte
- Nacional
- Deportivo
- Mlaga Levante
- Later years
- International career
- Club
- Country
- References
After starting out at Nacional he spent most of his professional career in Spain, mainly at Deportivo de La Coruña where he could never be a starter in six seasons. He also played in the country for Málaga and Levante, being first-choice and appearing in 151 La Liga games over the course of one full decade.
An Uruguayan international for six years, Munúa represented the country at the 2002 World Cup.
Especial GOLTV | 1a1 con Gustavo Munúa (1ra parte)
Nacional
Born in Montevideo, Munúa started his career at local Club Nacional de Football, where he won four Uruguyan league titles in a row. He held the record of being the first goalkeeper to score in Uruguayan football, when he netted from a free-kick in a league win against Central Español.
Munúa also scored some goals from penalties, both in the league and the Libertadores Cup.
Deportivo
Munúa left Nacional in 2003, joining La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruña on a six-year link, where he struggled to gain first-choice goalkeeper status: from 2003 to 2006 he was topped by Spanish international José Francisco Molina and, subsequently, faced stiff competition from Israel's Dudu Aouate.
In January 2008, after regaining first-choice from Aouate, both goalkeepers were involved in a post-training punching session that resulted in both being suspended for the match against Villarreal CF, as well as subsequent league games. In February, due to B-team keeper Fabri's inexperience, both players were reinstated in the squad, although the Israeli regained his lost spot.
After having started the following season, as Aouate, deemed surplus to requirements, Munúa eventually returned to back-up status, as Aouate was sold to RCD Mallorca and Fabri returned to the reserves. On 25 January 2009, to due the forced absence of new first-choice Daniel Aranzubia (sent off the previous week against FC Barcelona), he returned to first-team action for his only appearance of the campaign, a 0–1 loss at Real Madrid.
Málaga / Levante
On 28 June 2009, Munúa signed a one-year contract with Málaga CF. At his new club he was an instant first-choice, appearing in all the league games in his first year as the Andalusians barely avoided relegation (17th position).
After only one season, Munúa rejected a new contract offer and was released by the club, on 26 May 2010. On 6 August he signed with Levante UD, returned to the top level after two years, and he made his official debut on 28 August, in a 1–4 home defeat against Sevilla FC.
Munúa was a starter for the Valencian Community side throughout the vast majority of his spell. However, late into his third season, he, alongside Sergio Ballesteros and Juanlu, was accused by teammate José Barkero of lack of commitment during a 0–4 home loss against Deportivo, which led to several match-fixing allegations.
Later years
In January 2014, after a brief spell with ACF Fiorentina which consisted of two UEFA Europa League appearances, 36-year-old Munúa returned to his country and Nacional. After winning the 2015 national championship with the latter, as team captain, he was announced as Álvaro Gutiérrez's replacement as head coach.
International career
Munúa made his debut for Uruguay aged 20, in a friendly match against Chile on 24 May 1998. As a backup, he represented the nation at the 2001 Copa América and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.