The Palace No. 2 was in sensational form for Colombia in World Cup-opening wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo, opening the scoring in both matches – the latter being the winning goal, in a match in which he also had an effort disallowed for offside – to see his side progress as Group K winners ahead of Portugal.
That result means Los Cafeteros face Ghana in Kansas City in the small hours of this evening (02:30 BST on Saturday, 4th July) for a place in the Round of 16, with Muñoz set to return to the starting line-up at right wing-back for his country.
His performances saw 2002 World Cup winner Cafu hail Muñoz as a player who has “stuck out a lot” in the early games, and the Palace man replied, speaking to ESPN: “For me, it’s an honour, because he’s a role model in my position.
“It’s something that continues to motivate me. It’s about taking those words, taking them with humility, and continuing to work hard.
“The truth is, I do my job not to compete with anyone; I always do my job simply to contribute to my team, to my national team in this case, and I hope to continue establishing myself and bringing a lot of joy to all the people of Colombia.”
