‘El hincha en la cancha’: All you need to know about Daniel Muñoz
Daniel Muñoz has completed his move to Crystal Palace from Belgian side K.R.C. Genk – so to get you fully in the know, here’s our complete guide to the Colombia international's remarkable career so far...
Back from the brink
Born in Amalfi, a modest town with a population of just over 22,000 in the Antioquia Department in north-east Colombia, Daniel Muñoz’s journey to the Premier League encapsulates the versatility, commitment, and passion he has become renowned for as a player.
Growing up near to Medellín – the second-largest city in Colombia – Muñoz’s boyhood team were Atlético Nacional, his local club and the nation’s most successful side.
Pictures would later emerge on social of a teenage Muñoz in the stands, shirtless and roaring his Atlético heroes – but little did he know he would soon be joining them on the pitch.
Starting out as a player at the nearby Cosmos Soccer School as a six-year-old, Muñoz moved to Envigado at 12 years of age – the youth department which has produced the likes of James Rodriguez, Freddy Guarín and Jhon Cordoba – before moving to Arco Zaragoza Medellin, one of the most famous amateur teams in Colombia.
But despite a handful of trials elsewhere, including reports of interest abroad, Muñoz reached the age of 20 without having made his professional breakthrough, and was reputedly forced to consider retirement.
Yet Muñoz persisted and that allowed his former coach, Gabriel Sepulveda, to persuade him to briefly turn out for regional club, FC Total Soccer.
It was a turning point. There, Muñoz's displays alerted him to Jose Fernando Salazar – a scout from top-flight club Águilas Doradas – who would later recruit the defender and, upon his departure from the club, remark he was “a great athlete, and a better human being”.
Muñoz subsequently signed for ‘The Golden Team’, his first professional club, in early 2017.
Back from the brink of a departure from the game, the 20-year-old’s extraordinary journey to its elite was, at last, underway.
An instant impact
Muñoz rose quickly to the challenges of the professional game, soon becoming one of Águilas Doradas’ most important players and making 37 appearances in his first season.
Catching the eye during three years in Rionegro, he played 94 times and scored three goals from full-back – and would soon fulfil his lifelong dream when coach Juan Carlos Osorio signed him up for Atlético Nacional in 2019.
Once more, his impact was immediate, and before Muñoz had even reached double figures for appearances for Nacional, he had been called up by Colombia coach Carlos Quieroz for friendly matches against Brazil and Venezuela in September 2019, only denied his international debut by injury.
Scoring a remarkable seven goals in 20 league games in his maiden year, Muñoz was named Nacional captain at the age of 23, just six months after joining the club.
His affinity with the fans whom he had been photographed standing amongst as a teenager, and his passion for the shirt every time he played, earned him the nickname ‘el hincha de la cancha’: the 'fan on the field'.
They were qualities which would follow Muñoz throughout his career.
Belgium beckons
Muñoz’s talents were beginning to attract overtures from further afield, and in May 2020 – midway through his second season at Nacional – he was linked with Brazilian teams Palmeiras and Flamengo, Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Italy’s Inter Milan.
With Nacional facing economic difficulties amidst the global pandemic, Muñoz’s departure helped keep his boyhood club afloat.
He opted to pursue his dream of playing in Europe at four-time Belgian champions K.R.C. Genk – rebuilding after a challenging campaign – ahead of the 2020/21 season, and Muñoz was once again quick to find his feet, starting out in midfield before coming to dominate the right-back position in the team.
He played in every one of Genk’s Jupiler Pro League fixtures in his debut year, picking up five assists as his new club bounced back from a seventh-place finish the previous season to mount a title challenge and finish second.
The campaign would end in further glory, however, in no small part thanks to the full-back: Muñoz registered his first Genk goal, and provided an assist, in the Belgian Cup quarter-finals against KV Mechelen.
He then assisted Paul Onuachu in a semi-final win over Anderlecht and played the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 final win over Standard Liege, sealing the first silverware of his career and earning a place in Belgium’s Team of the Season.
