Manuel Almunia Rivero was born on 19 May 1977 and is a Spanish former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
14 Facts About Manuel Almunia
2.
Manuel Almunia competed mainly in the Spanish lower leagues in his early years, only appearing in 26 La Liga games over the course of two seasons with Recreativo and Albacete, after starting out at Osasuna.
3.
Manuel Almunia had a short loan spell at West Ham United.
4.
In 2012, after his contract expired, Almunia joined Watford and played there for two years, following which he retired on medical advice.
5.
Manuel Almunia never represented the club officially being loaned to SD Eibar, Recreativo de Huelva and Albacete Balompie, the last two in the top flight.
6.
At Albacete Balompie, Manuel Almunia started as backup to Carlos Roa.
7.
Manuel Almunia joined Arsenal on 14 July 2004 for an undisclosed sum, to provide backup to Jens Lehmann.
8.
Manuel Almunia has not yet showed he can win matches for us.
9.
Manuel Almunia made a return to the team on 30 January 2011 against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup, and went on to play both games in the next round against Leyton Orient.
10.
On 30 September 2011, Manuel Almunia signed an initial one-month emergency loan deal with Championship club West Ham United after Robert Green was ruled out for six weeks with a knee cartilage injury.
11.
In July 2012, aged 35, Manuel Almunia signed a one-year contract with Championship's Watford, replacing Scott Loach who had moved to Ipswich Town.
12.
Watford announced that Manuel Almunia had signed a new twelve-month deal on 5 July 2013, to keep him at the club for one further season.
13.
Manuel Almunia retired on 28 August 2014 on medical advice, after a rare heart condition was picked up during a medical with Serie A side Cagliari Calcio.
14.
Manuel Almunia stated on more than one occasion his desire to play for England, only provided that he did not receive a call-up from his nation of birth first.