Manuel Almunia profile
Name
Manuel Almunia
Born
May 19, 1977
Pamplona, Spain
Position
Goalkeeper
Squad Number
1
Previous Club(s)
Osasuna B
Cartagonova
Sabadell
Celta Vigo
Eibar (loan)
Recreativo Huelva (loan)
Albacete (loan)
Joined Arsenal
July 18, 2004
Arsenal Debut
Manchester City (a)
Carling Cup
October 27, 2004
Won 2-1
Manuel Almunia chose the biggest game of the 2008/09 season to confirm his status as a top-class keeper.
The Spaniard was plucked from the football backwaters of Spain to join Arsenal in 2005 and, without a famous name or major price tag, has sometimes struggled to get the recognition his outstanding form has deserved.
That was swept away in the opening 30 minutes of the Champions League Semi-Final first leg at Old Trafford in April 2009. He was beaten once but made a string of incredible stops to keep Arsenal in the tie for the second leg.
In the Knockout Round, Almunia had made a crucial penalty save from Mirko Vucinic. He also made spot-kick stops against Aston Villa and Newcastle last term. He is a commanding presence in the area and is becoming a specialist at saves from 12 yards.
Manuel played 44 games last season and, in the process, completed a century of games for Arsenal. He captained the side on numerous occasions too, a mark of his increasing seniority in the side.
“In my opinion yes [he is the best in the Premier League],” said Arsène Wenger last term.
“He is at the period of his career where he has good decision-making at the physical level to achieve what he sees and what he decides.”
MY YEAR
October
After missing the start of the month with a chest infection, Manuel returned to the Arsenal starting XI in the 3-0 win over Tottenham. The keeper helped the side to their first home Premier League clean sheet of the season.
September
A chest infection kept Manuel out of action for most of September but he did start the 4-2 defeat at Manchester City. The goalkeeper should be back in October.
August
Manuel played 90 minutes in all five of Arsenal's competitive matches in August as the Gunners made a promising start to the 2009/10 season. The Spanish keeper was pleased with the way the side had ironed out the defensive cracks he believes had cost the Club silverware the previous season. Almunia also hit back at critics who said Arsenal's backline was too small, saying that it is attitude and not height that is important in defence.
1. Manuel Almunia - Full Arsenal Record
| Prem Lge | Europe | FA Cup | Lge Cup | C. Shield | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl | Ap | Gl |
| 2004-2005 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2005-2006 | 0 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12+1 | 0 |
| 2006-2007 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2007-2008 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 2008-2009 | 32 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| 2009-2010 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Totals | 77 | 0 | 32+1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 132+1 | 0 |
Key:
- Prem Lge = Barclays Premier League
- C. Shield = Community Shield
- Europe = UEFA Champions League
- Ap = Appearances
- FA Cup = FA Cup sponsored by E-on
- Gl = Goals Scored
- Lge Cup = Carling Cup
Manuel Almunia - News
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Sat, Oct 31, 2009
Team News: Almunia starts against Spurs -
Fri, Oct 23, 2009
'I wouldn't say Almunia isn't first choice' -
Fri, Oct 16, 2009
Almunia returns but injury list lengthens -
Thu, Oct 15, 2009
Fabianski back and Almunia '50:50' to return -
Tue, Sep 15, 2009
Almunia, Van Persie, Denilson miss Liege trip -
Thu, Aug 20, 2009
Almunia - We have ironed out defensive flaws -
Tue, Aug 11, 2009
Almunia: There's no height problem at back -
Fri, Aug 7, 2009
TV Online: Almunia on Charity of the Season -
Tue, Jul 21, 2009
Free Video: Almunia - My Perfect Footballer -
Mon, Jul 20, 2009
Almunia - We'll be more mature this season
