Moisés Muñoz

Mexican goalkeeper who scored a legendary header in the 2013 final.

Moisés Alberto Muñoz Rodríguez (born 1 February 1980) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Quick Facts

Full name: Moisés Alberto Muñoz Rodríguez
Born: 1 February 1980
Birthplace: Aguililla, Michoacán, Mexico
Height: 1.85 m / 6 ft 1 in
Position: Goalkeeper
Total caps: 556

Lore & Background

Muñoz began his career in 1999 with Monarcas Morelia, playing in over 200 matches for the club, before eventually moving to Atlante in 2010. In 2011, he was sold to Club América, with whom he won two league titles and two CONCACAF Champions League titles. He also had loan stints with Chiapas and Puebla before retiring in 2018. He has also been called up to the Mexico national team, making his debut in 2004 and was a part of the national team which finished in fourth place at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. In June 2012, Muñoz was involved in a car accident while driving from Morelia.

Reader's Guide

Muñoz was born in Aguililla, Michoacán, on 1 February 1980. He speaks English fluently, having been educated in Northern California during his formative years, attending elementary school and junior high school in Redwood City as an undocumented child of migrant workers. He never legalized his status in the United States, but his parents have U.S. resident status and live in San Jose. He returned to Mexico before high school and by age 19 was playing for his hometown club in Morelia.

He made his league debut with Monarcas Morelia on 19 September 1999 against Pachuca. He played in 282 matches for Morelia before being transferred to Atlante in the 2010 Draft. He joined Atlante in a trade for Federico Vilar and made 53 league appearances for them. On 25 November 2011, he joined Club América.

He played his 500th league game on 1 October 2016. His first international cap was in a friendly against Ecuador on 27 October 2004. He was the starting goalkeeper during the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was selected for Mexico's 2013 Gold Cup squad and started against Martinique on 14 July 2013.

He was the starting goalkeeper for the 2014 World Cup qualification playoff matches against New Zealand. He was named in Mexico's squad for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2015 CONCACAF Cup. He is the brother of professional football player José Roberto Muñoz. He has stated that had he not decided on playing professional football he would have played basketball or American football.

On 3 June 2012, while driving his Honda Odyssey through the highway that connects Mexico City with Guadalajara, he lost control of his vehicle and flipped it on to its roof. He was heading to Morelia with his wife Verónica and two kids, Héctor and Zafiro. He suffered a head wound and a broken finger. In 2015, he made an appearance on the Mexican telenovela La vecina. He was an analyst for Fox Sports during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.