Manuel Almunia

Manuel Almunia is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, born on 19 May 1977 in Pamplona, Navarre. He began his senior career with the reserve side of CA Osasuna in 1995 and spent his early years in the lower tiers of Spanish football, representing FC Cartagonova and CE Sabadell before first reaching La Liga with a move to Celta de Vigo in 2001. Celta loaned him to Eibar, where he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy in the Segunda Division for 2001-02, and then to Recreativo de Huelva and Albacete Balompie. He made 26 La Liga appearances over two seasons. His longest spell was at Arsenal, which he joined on 14 July 2004; he played 175 official matches for the London club, was part of the squad that won the 2005 FA Cup, and came on in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona after Jens Lehmann was sent off. He later spent a short loan at West Ham United, joined Watford in 2012 and retired in 2014.