Juan Camilo Zúñiga Mosquera (; born 14 December 1985) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a wing-back.

Zúñiga has previously played for Italian clubs Siena and Napoli, having won two Coppa Italia titles with the latter; he was also sent on loan by Napoli to Bologna and Watford in 2016.

At international level, Zúñiga was part of the Colombia national football team that played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and has also represented his nation in three Copa América tournaments.

Club career

Atlético Nacional
Born in Chigorodó, Antioquia, Zúñiga made his professional debut with Colombian giant Atlético Nacional. With Nacional, he gained three titles while being at the club for seven seasons. In total, he made 129 league appearances and scored 9 goals.

Siena
Zúñiga left Atlético Nacional in the summer of 2008 and was contracted by Italian side Siena. The transfer fee was €2.32 million. While at Siena, Zúñiga gave impressive performances, which attracted several clubs. In total, he made 28 leagues appearances, failing to score a goal.

Napoli
On 9 July 2009, Napoli signed the Colombian from Siena on a five-year deal for €8.5 million. Zúñiga then usually featured on the left-hand side of the 3–5–2 formation, as the left wingback, since Christian Maggio often occupies the right-hand side.

After the arrival of Andrea Dossena in January 2010, he lost his starting place and became a backup wingback on both flanks in the 2010–11 Serie A season.

Zúñiga scored his first Serie A goal for Napoli against Catania on 20 February 2011. His second goal was on 15 May 2011 against Internazionale in the 46th minute. His third, spectacular goal occurred against Genoa on 21 December 2011.

In late August 2013, Zúñiga suffered an injury. Weeks later, it was confirmed that he would be forced to have knee surgery and be out for a month, likely causing him to miss the rest of the season for 2013. Nevertheless, Zúñiga signed a new contract in October 2013.

In April 2014, it was announced after five months that Zúñiga had finally recovered from his knee injury and would continue regularly for Napoli.

In the first half of the 2015–16 Serie A season, he was left out of the squad.

Bologna (Loan)
On 13 January 2016, Zúñiga signed for Bologna on loan until the end of the season. He made his league debut for the club on 17 January 2016, in a 2–2 draw with Lazio. He replaced Emanuele Giaccherini in the 71st minute.

Watford (Loan)
On 13 July 2016, it was announced that Zúñiga would join Watford on a season-long loan, with an option to buy, reuniting with former Napoli teammates Miguel Britos and Valon Behrami, as well as manager Walter Mazzarri. On 18 September 2016, Zúñiga came on in the 83rd minute for Étienne Capoue and scored against Manchester United in his side's 3–1 win. In what was only his third appearance for Watford in the Premier League, he subsequently won a penalty, converted by Troy Deeney, for Watford's third goal. It was reported that Zúñiga returned to Naples after the loan, for his final year of contract.

Return to Atlético Nacional 
After spending the first half of the 2017–18 season out of Napoli's squad, Zúñiga joined his first club Atlético Nacional on a free transfer on 30 January 2018.

Retirement
In 2018, Zúñiga announced his retirement from football.

International career
Zúñiga played for Colombia in the 2005 World Youth Cup before progressing to the senior national team in 2005. He was regarded as being similar to other famous adventurous full-backs such as Cafu and Roberto Carlos by the Italian press during the under-20 World Youth Cup, because of his attacking nature.
Zúñiga started most of Colombia 2014 World Cup qualifiers, only missing two games: against Venezuela after being given permission to leave the team for the birth of his son, and against Peru due to injury. He scored his first international goal during the qualifying campaign, which came in stoppage time in a 4–0 home win over Uruguay; he also assisted Radamel Falcao's opening goal during the match.

He was called up for the 2014 World Cup and appeared in four of the five matches that Colombia played in the tournament. On 4 July 2014, while Colombia's quarter-final match against hosts Brazil was nearing its end, Zúñiga landed his right knee into
Neymar's lower back while challenging for the ball. Neymar was stretchered off and further examinations showed that Neymar suffered a fractured vertebra, ruling him out of the rest of the World Cup. After the match, which Colombia lost 2–1, Zúñiga insisted that he had not meant to injure Neymar. Neymar's teammate Thiago Silva defended Zúñiga, stating that he was not the type of player who would purposely cause an injury to any player. Conversely, Brazilian legend Ronaldo said that he believed that Zúñiga's violent challenge was a foul committed with the intention of causing harm. The day after the match, it was revealed that Zúñiga had sent a letter of apology to Neymar, saying that he was "deeply sorry and sad" for unintentionally causing the injury. Neymar later accepted the apology. Though Zúñiga publicly apologized to Neymar, his Instagram and Twitter accounts were flooded with racial insults and death threats addressed to him and his family by some Brazilian fans.

The following year, in the 2015 Copa América, Zúñiga participated in his team's second group match against Brazil, during which an on-pitch brawl broke out following Colombia's 1–0 victory.

Style of play
A quick, energetic, versatile, and hard-working player, Zúñiga was capable of playing in several positions along the left flank, and was deployed as an attacking full-back, as a wing-back, and as a winger; a right-footed player, he was also capable of playing on the right, but from a tactical standpoint, he favoured the left flank, as it allowed him to take on and beat opponents in one on one situations, and subsequently cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot. Once regarded as a possible heir of Cafu, he was mainly known for his pace, strength, technique, and dribbling skills, as well as his powerful striking ability from outside the area; these attributes made him a dangerous offensive threat, and enabled him both to score and create goals for teammates.

Career statistics

Club

International
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Zúñiga goal.

Honours
Atletico Nacional
 Categoría Primera A: 2005-I, 2007-I, 2007-II

Napoli
 Coppa Italia: 2011–12, 2013–14

Notes

References

External links
 

1985 births
Living people
Colombian men's footballers
Colombia men's under-20 international footballers
Colombia men's international footballers
Atlético Nacional footballers
ACR Siena 1904 players
SSC Napoli players
Bologna FC 1909 players
Watford F.C. players
Categoría Primera A players
Serie A players
Premier League players
Colombian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in England
2007 Copa América players
2011 Copa América players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
2015 Copa América players
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Colombian expatriate sportspeople in England
Men's association football fullbacks
Footballers from Antioquia Department
Colombian people of African descent
후안 카밀로 수니가 모스케라(, 1985년 12월 14일 ~ )는 콜롬비아의 전 축구 선수로 포지션은 윙백이다.

클럽 경력

아틀레티코 나시오날 
안티오키아 주 치고로도 출신인 수니가는 콜롬비아의 축구 클럽 아틀레티코 나시오날에서 프로로 데뷔하였다. 클럽에서 일곱 시즌을 뛰는 동안, 그는 세 개의 타이틀을 얻었다. 종합적으로 그는 리그 121 경기에 출장했고, 9 골을 넣었다.

시에나 
2008년 여름에 수니가는 아틀레티코 나시오날에서 이탈리아쪽의 시에나로 이적했다. 그의 이적료는 300만 유로였다. 시에나에서 뛸 동안, 수니가는 여러 클럽에게 주목받을 만한 인상적인 성과를 보여주었다. 종합적으로 그는 리그 28 경기에 출장했고, 골을 넣진 못했다.

나폴리 
2009년 7월 9일 나폴리는 시에나에게 850만 유로를 주고 수니가와 5년 계약했다. 3-5-2 전술에서, 크리스티안 마지오가 우측을 맡을 동안 수니가는 레프트 윙백으로써 보통 좌측에서 활약했다.

2010년 1월 안드레아 도세나의 영입 이후에, 2010-11 세리에 A 시즌에서 수니가는 그 자리를 잃고 측면 모두를 전담하는 백업 윙백이 되었다.

2011년 2월 20일, 수니가는 카타니아를 상대로 세리에 A에서 처음으로 골을 넣었다. 그의 두번째 골은 2011년 3월 15일 인테르나치오날레를 상대로 46분에 터졌다. 그의 화려한 세번째 골은 2011년 12월 21일 제노아를 상대로 터졌다.

2013년 8월 말, 수니가는 부상으로 시달렸다. 수주일 후, 그는 장기부상으로 무릎 수술을 받은 것이 확인되었고, 남은 시즌을 놓칠 뻔했다.

무릎 부상을 완치한 2014년 4월, 수니가는 나폴리에서 정기적으로 계속할 것을 발표했다.

국가대표팀 경력 
수니가는 2005년에 성인 국가대표팀으로 들어가기 전에 U-20 청소년 월드컵에서 콜롬비아 선수로 뛰었다. U-20에서 뛰는 동안에 그는 이탈리아 언론에게 카푸와 호베르투 카를로스와 같은 유명한 풀백 선수와 비슷하다고 여겨졌다.

수니가는 2014년 브라질 월드컵 지역 예선 경기에서 두 경기만 불참하고 모두 출장했다. 베네수엘라전은 아들의 출산 때문에, 페루전은 부상 때문에 출장하지 못했다.

그는 2014년 브라질 월드컵에서 다섯 경기 중 네 경기에 출장했다. 2014년 7월 4일, 브라질과 맞붙는 8강전에서 네이마르의 등 아래를 오른쪽 무릎으로 가격하고 착지했다. 결과로 네이마르는 이송용 침대에 실려서 퇴장했다. 나중에 검사에 따르면 네이마르는 척추골의 3번 요추가 골절되어 월드컵의 나머지 경기를 뛸 수 없다는 판정을 받았다고 한다. 콜롬비아가 2-1로 패한 후에 수니가는 자신이 네이마르를 부상 입힐 의도로 그런 것이 아니었다고 말했다.하지만 브라질이 독일한테 7대1대패를 당하자 이에 분노한 브라질 마피아들이 수니가의 현상금을 거는등 암살을 예고했다. 네이마르의 동료 치아구 시우바는 수니가가 다른 선수를 고의로 부상입히게 할 유형의 선수가 아니라고 그를 옹호했다. 7월 5일, 수니가는 네이마르에게 부상 입힌 것은 고의가 아니고 "깊이 사죄하고 슬퍼한다"(deeply sorry and sad)는 내용을 담은 사과의 편지를 보냈다. 또한 2014년 9월 미국에서 열린 브라질과 콜롬비아의 축구국가대표팀 평가전에서 킥오프 전 수니가와 네이마르는 화해의 포옹을 나눈 바 있다.

2015 코파 아메리카 C조 2차전이에서 전반 44분 경 네이마르의 오른쪽 눈을 실명시킬 뻔했다.

수상

클럽 
 아틀레티코 나시오날
 카테고리아 프리메라 아페르투라 : 2005, 2007
 카테고리아 프리메라 피날리사시온 : 2007

 나폴리
 코파 이탈리아 : 2011-12, 2013-14

각주

외부 링크 
 SSC 나폴리 선수 프로필 

1985년 출생
살아있는 사람
콜롬비아의 남자 축구 선수
콜롬비아 남자 축구 국가대표팀 선수
아틀레티코 나시오날의 축구 선수
이탈리아의 외국인 남자 축구 선수
ACR 시에나 1904의 축구 선수
SSC 나폴리의 축구 선수
볼로냐 FC 1909의 축구 선수
왓퍼드 FC의 축구 선수
잉글랜드의 외국인 남자 축구 선수
2007년 코파 아메리카 참가 선수
2011년 코파 아메리카 참가 선수
2014년 FIFA 월드컵 참가 선수
2015년 코파 아메리카 참가 선수
콜롬비아의 해외 진출 남자 축구 선수
프리미어리그의 축구 선수
세리에 A의 축구 선수
이탈리아에 거주한 콜롬비아인
카테고리아 프리메라 A의 축구 선수
콜롬비아 남자 U-20 축구 국가대표팀 선수
잉글랜드에 거주한 콜롬비아인