Luis Muriel

Luis Fernando Muriel Fruto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwiz muˈɾjel];[lower-alpha 1] born 16 April 1991) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Atalanta and the Colombian national team.

Luis Muriel
Muriel with Colombia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Luis Fernando Muriel Fruto[1]
Date of birth (1991-04-16) 16 April 1991
Place of birth Santo Tomás, Colombia
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Atalanta
Number 9
Youth career
2001–2008 Atlético Junior
2008–2009 Deportivo Cali
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Deportivo Cali 11 (9)
2010–2015 Udinese 57 (15)
2010–2011 → Granada (loan) 7 (0)
2011–2012 → Lecce (loan) 29 (7)
2015 → Sampdoria (loan) 16 (4)
2015–2017 Sampdoria 63 (17)
2017–2019 Sevilla 35 (8)
2019 → Fiorentina (loan) 19 (6)
2019– Atalanta 53 (30)
National team‡
2011 Colombia U20 5 (4)
2012– Colombia 36 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:13, 6 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:28, 24 December 2020 (UTC)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Muriel and the second or maternal family name is Fruto.

Having started his professional career with Colombian side Deportivo Cali, Muriel joined Udinese. His first two seasons at the club saw him loaned out to Granada and Lecce respectively before returning to the club in 2012, during which year he won the Serie A Best Young Revelation award alongside Stephan El Shaarawy. After scoring 15 league goals in 57 appearances, Muriel joined fellow Serie A side Sampdoria in January 2015. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the club, scoring 21 goals in 79 league appearances before joining Sevilla in 2017. In January 2019, he was sent back to Italy on loan with Fiorentina. In June 2019, Muriel signed for Serie A side Atalanta for a reported €18m.

Muriel is currently a Colombian international, having represented his nation at a full international level since 2012. He made his senior debut in June 2012, in a World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador and scored his first goal the following year, netting against Guatemala. He later took part at the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Copa América, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Deportivo Cali

Having spent his formative years with Atlético Junior, Muriel joined Colombian Primera A side Deportivo Cali in January 2009.[3][4] He made his debut against Envigado FC on 12 July 2009 in what would be his only appearance for the year before scoring nine goals in 10 appearances the following season. Muriel's early form for Deportivo, which included a hat-trick against Once Caldas in his third match, earned him the nickname "the Colombian Ronaldo", in comparison to former Brazil striker Ronaldo, and midway through the season he was signed by Italian Serie A side Udinese.[5][6][7]

Udinese

Udinese officially completed the signing of Muriel on 30 May 2010 for a reported fee of €1.5m.[8] In terms of the transfer agreement, Udinese obtained 70% of Muriel's playing rights with the remaining 30% being retained by Deportivo.[9] Shortly after his arrival in Udine, however, he was loaned to Segunda División side Granada.[10]

Loans to Granada & Lecce

Muriel completed his loan move to Granada on 12 July 2010.[11] The club achieved promotion to La Liga for the first time in 35 years but it was an unsuccessful spell for Muriel, as he made only seven appearances for the season and failed to score.[12][13]

Upon the expiration of his loan with Granada, Muriel was loaned out again for the following season to fellow Serie A side, Lecce. He made his debut for the club on 27 October 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute for Daniele Corvia in a 2–0 loss to Palermo.[14] On his first start for the club the following month, against Cesena, Muriel was sent off for two bookable offences. Lecce hung on to claim a 1–0 victory, however, thanks to a goal from fellow countryman and Udinese-loanee, Juan Cuadrado.[15] He improved to end the campaign with a return of seven goals in 29 appearances, though his efforts were not enough to prevent Lecce from being relegated to Serie B.[6] His form during the course of the season garnered the attention of A.C. Milan and Internazionale, with both clubs making official offers to sign him, but Muriel confirmed that he would be returning to Udinese.[16]

Return to Udinese

Muriel's poor physical condition upon his return to Udinese drew the ire of Francesco Guidolin, with the club manager insisting that he needed to lose 5 pounds (2.3 kg), despite the player scoring four goals against Arta Cedarchis in a pre-season friendly.[6][17] He was able to get in shape for the start of the season and made his debut in a 2–1 defeat against Fiorentina on 25 August 2012, providing the assist to Maicosuel for the opening goal.[18] He signed a contract extension the following month, signing an improved five-year deal with the club.[19] In January 2012, Muriel was awarded the Serie A Best Young Revelation award alongside Milan's Stephan El Shaarawy in recognition of his form with Lecce and Udinese the previous year.[20] By the conclusion of the season, he had contributed a return of 11 goals in 22 Serie A appearances, despite having missed nearly four months of football because of a hairline fracture of his left femur.[6][17]

The following season, in the qualifying playoff rounds of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, Muriel scored his first ever European goals, netting twice in a 3–1 victory over Široki Brijeg and in his first league match of the season, scored against reigning Coppa Italia champions, Lazio in a 2–1 loss.[21][22] His form declined however, as he struggled with weight and injury issues, and over the course of the next season-and-a-half he scored only four goals in 35 league appearances, including a spell without any goals in 11 matches from the start of the 2014–15 Serie A season.[19][23] He ultimately amassed 15 goals in 57 appearances for the club, before leaving to join Sampdoria in 2015.[24]

Sampdoria

In spite of his struggles with Udinese, Sampdoria completed the double loan signings of Muriel and teammate Andrea Coda on 22 January 2015, with an obligation to purchase both players at the end of the season for a combined sum of €12m. In terms of the agreement, Muriel signed a contract with Sampdoria until 30 June 2019.[19][25][26] He scored four times in 16 appearances during his loan spell before completing a permanent transfer at the end of the season.[19] In his final campaign with the club he recorded a career best return of 11 league goals and five assists, which prompted Sevilla to break their club record to sign him at the end of the season.[27]

Sevilla

On 11 July 2017, La Liga side Sevilla announced the signing of Muriel for a reported club-record fee €20m, with potential add-ons.[27][28] He made his debut on 19 August, starting in a 1–1 draw with Espanyol and scored his first goal for the club on 17 September, netting the winner in a 1–0 victory over Girona.[29][30] Following a disappointing debut campaign, in which he only scored 9 goals in 46 appearances, Muriel found himself behind Wissam Ben Yedder and new club signings André Silva and Quincy Promes in the pecking order for Sevilla the following season.[31]

Loan to Fiorentina

On 2 January 2019, Muriel returned to Serie A after signing with Fiorentina on loan for the remainder of the season.[32] He scored a hat-trick on his non-competitive debut a week later in a win over Maltese side, Hibernians before making his official debut on 14 January in a 2–0 Coppa Italia win over Torino.[33][34] He then scored twice on his league debut on 20 January during a 3–3 draw with former club, Sampdoria.[35] He ultimately scored six league goals during his loan spell but was not signed permanently after the club underwent a change in ownership.[36][37]

Atalanta

On 21 June 2019, after a successful loan spell with Fiorentina, Muriel returned to Serie A after signing with Atalanta in a permanent deal worth a reported €18m.[38]

International career

Youth team

Muriel represented Colombia at U20 level and featured for the nation at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup for which Colombia were the host nation. On 6 August 2011, having previously scored twice against France, he scored the only goal of the match as Colombia defeated Korea Republic 1–0 to progress from the group stages with a perfect record.[39] Muriel ultimately scored four goals for the tournament before Colombia were knocked out by Mexico in the quarter-finals.[40]

Senior team
Muriel stepping up to take a penalty kick during Colombia's penalty shoot-out defeat to England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Muriel was called up to the senior side for the first time in 2012 by new manager José Pékerman and made his debut in a 1–0 World Cup qualifier loss to Ecuador on 10 June. He scored his first goal the following year, scoring in a friendly against Guatemala on 6 February 2013.[41][42] The following year, he was one of seven players cut from Colombia's extended squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[43] He was a member of Colombia's squad for the 2015 Copa América but was overlooked for the Copa América Centenario the following year.[44]

In May 2018 he was named in Colombia's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[45] He featured sporadically as Colombia reached the Round of 16 where they were eliminated following a penalty shoot-out defeat to England.[46]

The following summer, Muriel was included in the 23-man Colombia squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil.[47]

Style of play

In his youth, Muriel was often praised in the media for his precocious performances during his early career in Italy,[48] which led him to win the Serie A Best Young Revelation Award in 2012.[49] Several footballing figures in Italy, such as manager Massimiliano Allegri, have recognised Muriel for his speed and technique on the ball, as well as the potential which he already demonstrated as a youngster;[50] his former Udinese teammate Antonio Di Natale even compared him to Alexis Sánchez in 2013.[51] Although Muriel is usually deployed as a centre-forward, he is a versatile forward, who is capable of playing in several offensive positions; indeed, during the 2012–13 season, under his former Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin, he also demonstrated his creative capabilities in a more withdrawn, central role behind another striker, which frequently saw him operate as either a second striker or attacking midfielder.[52] He is also capable of playing as a winger.[53] A fast, talented, creative, two-footed, and technically gifted striker, with good dribbling skills, pace, agility, acceleration, and an eye for goal, Muriel's playing style, physical build, and appearance have led him to be compared to former Brazil striker Ronaldo.[3][17][52][54] Muriel has stated that this comparison is likely due to the fact that, as a youngster, he was an admirer of Ronaldo during the latter's time with Inter Milan.[6] Muriel went on to say that he supported Inter Milan because Ronaldo was playing for them at the time, and that he was initially a Milan fan.[55][56] Coincidentally, Muriel also stated that, like his childhood idol, he also suffers from weight issues, and even had to lose five kg at one point during the 2012–13 season.[17][55][57][58] This meant that he had to be consistent with his fitness regime, which enabled him to achieve a similar level of athletic ability to Ronaldo.[6][59][60] Aside from Ronaldo, another one of Muriel's major influences as a footballer in his youth was compatriot Iván Valenciano.[54] Despite his ability, he is also known to be inconsistent.[61]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 6 February 2021.[62]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCup1Continental2Other3Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Deportivo Cali 2009 Primera A 10———10
2010 Primera A 109———109
Total 119000000119
Udinese 2010–11 Serie A 0000——00
2012–13 Serie A 22111000—2311
2013–14 Serie A 2443242318
2014–15 Serie A 11000——110
Total 57154242006519
Granada (loan) 2010–11 La Liga 7020——90
Lecce (loan) 2011–12 Serie A 29700——297
Sampdoria (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 16400——164
Sampdoria 2015–16 Serie A 3261021—357
2016–17 Serie A 311122——3313
Total 63173221006820
Sevilla 2017–18 La Liga 2979280—469
2018–19 La Liga 612010310194
Total 358112183106513
Fiorentina (loan) 2018–19 Serie A 19643——239
Atalanta 2019–20 Serie A 34181061—4119
2020–21 Serie A 191231522715
Total 533041113006834
Career total 29196281035910353115

1 Includes Coppa Italia and Copa del Rey matches.
2 Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.
3 Includes Supercopa de España matches.

International
As of match played 17 November 2020
Appearances and goals by national team and year[63]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Colombia 201210
201341
201400
201530
201660
201730
201851
2019103
202042
Total367
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Muriel goal.[63]
List of international goals scored by Luis Muriel
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
16 February 2013Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States Guatemala4–14–1Friendly
223 March 2018Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France France1–23–2Friendly
33 June 2019Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia Panama2–03–0Friendly
46 September 2019Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States Brazil1–12–2Friendly
52–1
69 October 2020Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia Venezuela2–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
73–0

Honours

Colombia U20

Individual

Notes
  1. In isolation, Luis is pronounced [lwis].

References
  1. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: List of players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 10 June 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  2. https://www.atalanta.it/personaggi/luis-muriel
  3. Mitchell, Steve (30 November 2016). "Scouting Report: Introducing Chelsea target Luis Muriel". Calcio Mercato. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. Futbolmanía RCN (ed.): «Tres goles de Muriel le dan respiro al Deportivo Cali » Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Canalrcn.com.
  5. "Barcelona tiene a Muriel en su radar". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 16 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. Doyle, Mark (30 May 2013). "'The Colombian Ronaldo' - Introducing Liverpool target Luis Muriel". Goal. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. "Luis Muriel jugará en Udinese". ESPN (in Spanish). 13 May 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  8. Beattie, Chris. "Why Man Utd and Liverpool have joined the battle for Luis Muriel - the new Ronaldo". Tribal Football. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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  11. Granada Club de Fútbol – Web oficial. Granada CF. (in Spanish)
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  50. "Allegri: "Mai problemi con Ibra Stessa voglia di vincere"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 10 March 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
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  55. "Mercato Udinese, Muriel: "Da piccolo tifavo Milan, ma..."" (in Italian). www.calciomercato.it. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
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  63. "Luis Muriel". National Football Teams. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  64. https://festival-foot-espoirs.com/en/smartphone/festival/detail_actualite.php?id=2939
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