Quick Facts
VirgoBiography
Herlyn Ysrael Zúñiga Yáñez (born August 27, 1976) is a Peruvian former footballer who has played as a striker for Peru and for clubs including Coventry City, Estudiantes and Melgar.
Club career
Zúñiga initially trained as a dental technician before deciding to become a professional footballer at the relatively late age of 22. He gained some international fame after scoring a league-record equalling 32 goals for Melgar in his first season in the Primera División Peruana in 1999. His goalscoring success prompted English Premier League club Coventry City to purchase him for £750,000 in February 2000. However, he was unable to find any form in England; scoring four goals in 30 appearances spread over two and a half years with Coventry before he was released in the summer of 2002.
After leaving Coventry he joined Argentine club Estudiantes, but again struggled to recapture his scoring form. Zúñiga returned to his homeland following the conclusion of his spell in Argentina to join Sporting Cristal, a club he spent time at as a teenager before leaving the game to study to be a dental worker.
International career
He won 22 caps and scored 3 goals for the Peru.
He was recalled against Ecuador on June 2007.
International
As of 9 July 2007
| Peru national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1999 | 7 | 1 |
| 2000 | 10 | 1 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 22 | 3 |
Honours
Club
Guardia Republicana
- Segunda División Peruana:1995
Sporting Cristal
- Peruvian First Division: 2005
Juan Aurich
- Peruvian First Division: 2011
FBC Melgar
- Peruvian First Division: 2015