Víctor Muñoz

Víctor Muñoz Manrique (born 15 March 1957), known simply as Víctor as a player, is a Spanish retired football midfielder and manager.

He spent most of his professional career with Barcelona, winning six titles and achieving La Liga totals of 332 games and 25 goals. In the competition, he also represented Zaragoza.

A Spain international during the 1980s, Víctor represented the country at the 1986 World Cup and two European Championships. He later became a manager, leading four top-division teams and winning the Copa del Rey for Zaragoza in 2004.

Club
Víctor was born in Zaragoza, Aragon. After starting off with hometown club Real Zaragoza and being relegated in his first professional season, he was purchased by La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona, being a very important element for the Catalans in a seven-year spell; on 4 June 1983, he scored his team's first goal in a 2–1 win against Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Víctor was also one of the first Spaniards to ever play in Serie A, with two seasons with UC Sampdoria. Following a quick stint at St Mirren where he teamed up with his former Barça teammate Steve Archibald, he returned to Zaragoza to see out his career aged 34.

International
Víctor was a regular for Spain for most of the 1980s, making his debut on 25 March 1981 in a 2–1 friendly win over England and going on to earn a further 59 caps with three goals. He played for the nation at the 1986 FIFA World Cup as well as the UEFA Euro 1984 (in a final runner-up position to hosts France) and 1988 tournaments, retiring from international duty immediately after that group-stage exit.

Style of play
An all-around midfield unit, Víctor was best known for his great physical strength that helped him tire his opponents in the early stages of the match.

Coaching career
Muñoz started working as a manager in the mid-1990s, being successively at the helm of RCD Mallorca, CD Logroñés, UE Lleida, Villarreal CF and Zaragoza. With the last of those teams, he won the 2003–04 domestic cup with a 3–2 extra time victory over Real Madrid's Galácticos.

On 8 October 2006, Muñoz signed a two-year contract with Greece's Panathinaikos FC, becoming their 18th coach in ten years. However, he returned to Spain in June 2007 to take over at Recreativo de Huelva, from where he was sacked the following February.

For the 2008–09 campaign, Muñoz was appointed at Getafe CF. Following a string of seven losses in nine games that left the team from the outskirts of Madrid one point above the relegation zone, he was dismissed in April 2009, making way for former Real Madrid player Míchel.

In late December 2010, after more than one year out of football, Muñoz was named head coach of Russian Premier League side FC Terek Grozny. He left his post in Chechnya after less than one month due to failed contract negotiations, being replaced by Ruud Gullit.

Muñoz returned to active in early September 2011, when he became Neuchâtel Xamax FCS's third manager of the season, replacing his compatriot Joaquín Caparrós. He continued his career in the Swiss Super League, with a brief stint at FC Sion from December 2012 until the following February.

On 19 March 2014, Muñoz returned to Zaragoza, succeeding Paco Herrera at a club at risk of relegation to Segunda División B. He was dismissed on 24 November with the side in 8th, one point off the play-offs.

Player
Zaragoza
 * Segunda División: 1977–78

Barcelona
 * La Liga: 1984–85
 * Copa del Rey: 1982–83, 1987–88
 * Supercopa de España: 1983
 * Copa de la Liga: 1983
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82

Sampdoria
 * Coppa Italia: 1988–89
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1989–90; runner-up: 1988–89

Spain
 * UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984

Manager
Zaragoza
 * Copa del Rey: 2003–04
 * Supercopa de España: 2004