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
January
Manuel started all five of Arsenal's Premier League games in January. The keeper helped the Gunners to clean sheets away from home against Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa but Manchester United's first goal of a 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium went down as an own goal against the Spaniard.
December
Manuel played in all six of Arsenal's Premier League fixtures in December and captained the side in the absence of Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish shot-stopper kept three clean sheets this month and saved a penalty in the 3-0 win over Hull City. Speaking after that match, Almunia stated his belief that the race for the Premier League title will be a close one. "There will be a few teams fighting for the title and it will be one of the tightest Leagues for years," he said.
November
Manuel started all five of Arsenal's fixtures in November and kept a clean sheet in the Champions League victory over Standard Liege, helping Arsenal to top Group H and qualify for the Knockout Stages.
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 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Totals | 92 | 0 | 33+1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148+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
-
Mon, Dec 21, 2009
Almunia - Title race will be tight this year -
Tue, Dec 15, 2009
Wenger - I have full confidence in Almunia -
Tue, Dec 8, 2009
Almunia - I have everything sorted out now -
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
