Juan Manuel Peña

Juan Manuel Peña Montaño (born 17 January 1973) is a Bolivian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Peña and the second or maternal family name is Montaño.
Juan Manuel Peña
Peña before a game with Bolivia
Personal information
Full name Juan Manuel Peña Montaño
Date of birth (1973-01-17) 17 January 1973
Place of birth Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Tahuichi Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 Blooming 48 (0)
1993–1995 Santa Fe 62 (0)
1995–2004 Valladolid 249 (0)
2004–2007 Villarreal 56 (1)
2007–2009 Celta 33 (0)
2010 D.C. United 10 (0)
Total 458 (1)
International career
1991–2009 Bolivia 85 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

The vast majority of his professional career was spent in Spain, where he played a total of 14 years for three teams (mainly Valladolid), appearing in a total of 305 La Liga games.

Peña played more than 80 times with Bolivia, representing the nation at the 1994 World Cup and five Copa América tournaments.

Club career

Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Peña played for Club Blooming in his home country and Independiente Santa Fe in Colombia, before moving to Spain in 1995. At Real Valladolid he was a defensive stalwart for nine seasons – sharing teams with compatriot Marco Sandy in his first – leaving for Villarreal CF upon his first team's 2004 relegation from La Liga.[1]

At Villarreal Peña figured less prominently, but managed to score a rare goal, in a 3–0 home win against Málaga CF on 19 December 2004.[2] After just six league appearances during 2006–07 he switched to Celta de Vigo, in the second division.

Following two seasons of intermittent use, Peña retired in mid-November 2009 aged 36, not wishing to pursue his career anymore after careful deliberation. However, on 25 March of the following year, he signed with D.C. United of the Major League Soccer.[3]

International career

After his debut for Bolivia in 1991 (aged 18), Peña went on to become one of its most capped players and team captain. With 85 international matches,[4][5] he played a FIFA World Cup game, against Spain in 1994 (1–3 group stage loss),[6] and also appeared in five Copa América editions.

Peña scored only once for the national team, in a friendly match with Honduras played in Washington on 11 October 2003. In his penultimate appearance, on 1 April 2009, he helped to the 6–1 demolition of Argentina in La Paz for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.[7]

International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States  Honduras 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours

Club
Villarreal

References
  1. Peña inks Villarreal deal; UEFA.com, 26 August 2004
  2. Villarreal 3–0 Málaga; ESPN Soccernet, 19 December 2004
  3. United to sign Carey Talley; The Washington Post, 25 March 2010
  4. Juan Manuel Peña – International Appearances; at RSSSF
  5. Bolivia – Record international players Archived 9 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine; at RSSSF
  6. World Cup '94; Bolivia scores, but will still go home; The New York Times, 28 June 1994
  7. Bolivia humilla a Argentina (Bolivia humiliates Argentina); Marca, 1 April 2009 (in Spanish)
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