About Manuel Almunia

Manuel Almunia Rivero (born 19 May 1977) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

He 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.

Most of his professional career was spent with Arsenal, for which he signed in 2004, going on to play 175 official matches and winning the 2005 FA Cup. He also had a short loan spell at West Ham United.

In 2012, after his contract expired, Almunia joined Watford and played there for two years, following which he retired.