Santiago Muñoz embarks on a new chapter with Liga MX’s Santos Laguna, after returning from an 18-month loan spell with Newcastle United.
He’s no stranger to the Torreon team, first sporting the white and green jersey at the age of 14. Muñoz worked to climb academy ranks, becoming familiar with the ‘winning by serving is the only option’ motto before making his senior team debut as a substitute on October 25, 2020 in a Liga MX match against Atletico San Luis.
The forward quickly stood out, recording three goals and three assists to lead Santos Laguna to the Apertura final and inspire a move to Newcastle United.
He joined the English team in August 2021, signing an initial loan deal with the option to purchase. Muñoz made his first-team debut weeks after arriving, in a pre-season friendly over Athletic Bilbao at St. James’ Park. But his involvement under Eddie Howe quickly dwindled, as injuries impacted his season. Consequently, he spent the majority of his time with the Under 23 team before Newcastle rejected the option for a permanent transfer.
But, regardless of the outcome, Muñoz does not regret the loan.
“There was a lot of talk for 18 months, some people agreed with the move, many people disagreed. But for me personally, it helped me a lot. I take it as a lesson, something very positive for me and now I have to apply it with Santos. I realized what I am capable of doing at that moment and of course I don’t regret anything, far from it,” Muñoz said exclusively to 90min.
Muñoz looks back fondly at the experience, crediting Santos Laguna for preparing him for the challenges that lie abroad.
“The philosophy that the club has is unparalleled. For me, no one else has the mentality that Santos has, and I don’t say that because I have been here since I was 14 years old, or because it is my club. I’ve visited some other clubs, I have teammates from other clubs, and there is nothing like it,” he said with a smile.
“I left here at the age of 19 to fulfill a dream in those 18 months in Europe, but without a doubt I was trained here from the age of 14 to get to that point. They prepared me, they taught me certain values. They instilled in me, and they gave me everything so that I could go to Europe alone for 18 months and be able to achieve that objective.
“I think that this is something that I will always be grateful for. That foundation I have, and others at this club have from working in the academy to the senior team….
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