About Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero (born 19 May 1977) is a Spanish former professional 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 two seasons with Recreativo and Albacete after starting out at Osasuna. Most of his career was spent with Arsenal, for whom 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, joining Watford in 2012 and retiring two years later. In the summer of 2001, Almunia first reached La Liga, after signing with RC Celta de Vigo. Almunia finally won the battle for first-choice duties in the 2007–08 season. With Szczęsny (dislocated finger), Fabianski (shoulder) and Mannone all out with injury, Almunia again became first-choice.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.