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Santiago Munoz has so far not helped Newcastle United reach the Champions League.
Newcastle United fans did a double-take when they learned the name of the young Mexican striker that Newcastle United signed on transfer deadline day. He sounds exactly like a movie character.
Santiago Munoz, a Santos Laguna resident, has joined the club on an 18-month loan agreement with the option to purchase.
Sounds familiar? If you've ever seen the 2005 film Goal, you will. His fictional hero is a young Mexican striker, Santiago Munez.
The movie shows Munez winning a penalty against Fulham in his Premier League debut. He then scores a dramatic free kick against Liverpool in the final match to propel Newcastle into the Champions League.
Munoz has a lot to live up too, especially since he doesn’t have the benefit of a team movie scriptwriters.
However, Newcastle's latest signing - not the fictional one who ended up with Anna Friel as a nurse - has had a promising start in his career.
He was a youth international and scored five goals when Mexico won the Concacaf U-17 Championships in 2019.
Then, he made his club debut with Santos Laguna last year and scored three goals in 13 league matches. He also assisted three times.
This is not the first time that a footballer has been able to emerge with a name that is similar to one in fiction.
Three years before Liverpool's debut striker, Michael Owen made his Liverpool debut, Jonathan Coe published What A Carve Up in 1994.
In 2007, David Mitchell starred alongside comedian Robert Webb as Harry Kane, an illusionist.
The future England captain was still a Tottenham schoolboy at the time.
Can Munoz be a major storyline for Newcastle's season this year? Given that their last four matches are against Liverpool City and Manchester City, they might be in need of him.
