 Herrera withUniversidad de Chile in 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Johnny Cristián Herrera Muñoz | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1981-05-09)9 May 1981 (age 44) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Angol, Chile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2000 | Universidad de Chile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2005 | Universidad de Chile | 123 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Corinthians | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Everton | 60 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Audax Italiano | 91 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2019 | Universidad de Chile | 259 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Everton | 22 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 564 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Chile Olympic | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Chile U20 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2018 | Chile | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Johnny Cristián Herrera Muñoz (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈɟʝonjeˈreɾa], born 9 May 1981) is a Chilean former professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper.
He has played the most part of his career at Universidad de Chile, winning for the club eight league titles, aCopa Sudamericana, three cup titles and a supercup in 2015.
He has representedChilean football team atU20 level andOlympic level too, playing 21 official times for the adult team.
Herrera has been part of Chile's bothCopa América titles in2015 and2016.
Born inAngol, Herrera joinedUniversidad de Chile youth squad and was promoted to the first/adult team in 1999. Three years later, he became the first-choice keeper after being back-up forSergio Vargas, who leftThe Lions after 10 years playing there. In 2004, Herrera won his first professional title after defeatingCobreloa as visitors in theTorneo Apertura final, where he scored the winning goal during the shootout, giving the club their twelfth League title.[2] During those years, Herrera collated his football career with his studies, area where he was dedicated to the Pedagogy in Physical Education, a career he studied at theUniversity of the Americas (UDLA).[3][4][5]
In 2006, Herrera moved to Brazilian clubCorinthians.[6] Following an unsuccessful spell at Brazil — where only played nine official games — he returned to Chile and signed forEverton fromVina del Mar in 2007. There, he helped the team to win the2008 Torneo Apertura.[7][8] However, in June 2008, Herrera left Everton to sign forAudax Italiano.[9]
In 2011, Herrera returned to Universidad de Chile. That year he had a brilliant season, being a major figure in the club's first treble in its history after winning both league tournaments (Apertura andClausura) and theCopa Sudamericana, under the guidance of coachJorge Sampaoli.[10] Noteworthy, Herrera was even chosen as the goalkeeper of the season byConmebol.[11] In 2012, he helped Universidad de Chile to win the Torneo Apertura, which meant the club's first ever league tri-championship, as well as the last reached during the Sampaoli era.[12]
On 20 May 2013, he featured in Universidad de Chile's 2–1 victory overUniversidad Católica in the2012–13 Copa Chile Final, the club's fourth cup in the contest. On 18 March 2014, Herrera scored his first official goal in a 1–0Copa Libertadores group stage win over Peru'sReal Garcilaso, through a penalty kick.[13] The same year he helped the club win theTorneo Apertura.[14] His first League goal came on 22 November during a University Derby against Católica in a 2–2 draw.[15] On 2 December, Herrera won his twelfth professional title after defeating in theCopa Chile Final to rivalsColo-Colo in the shootout, where he saved a penalty and scored the winning goal.[16]
On 13 February 2016, he scored his third official goal in a 2–1 defeat toPalestino, scoring from a penalty.[17]
Herrera has been representing theChile national team since he was a youth player, participating in itsU-20 andU-23 levels, the latter as one of the 23 players nominated to the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney. His first call-up to the senior team was in 2002 in a game againstMexico; his last was in 2005. Years later, during the best moment of his career between 2011 and 2012 playing forUniversidad de Chile, Herrera curiously did not receive nominations fromClaudio Borghi, the incumbent coach. The press usually alluded to an internal dispute between them, but with Borghi's departure in December 2012, the situation changed in Herrera's favor.
After almost seven years of absence,[18] Herrera was reconsidered byJorge Sampaoli, who finally took the helm. He received his first call up from Sampaoli for the friendly matches againstHaiti andSenegal in January 2013,[19] where he stated that Herrera would play against Haiti, rotating the goal-keeping duties withChristopher Toselli.[20] Nevertheless, he played both games which were 2–1[21] and 3–0 wins respectively.[22]
On 5 March 2014, Herrera played againstGermany inStuttgart replacing first-choiceClaudio Bravo who missed the match due to injury.[23] Chile lost 1–0 through aMario Götze goal.[24]
Having been part of the entire qualification campaign since Sampaoli's taking, Herrera was named in Chile's list of 23 for theFIFA World Cup in Brazil. On 5 June, he played in a 2–0 friendly win overNorthern Ireland, prior to the World Cup.[25]
He was part of the2015 Copa América champion team as back-up keeper to Claudio Bravo as well as in the2016 Centenario edition.
In 2017, he was nominated to theConfederations Cup and played two matches againstCameroon (a 2–0 victory) andAustralia (a 1–1 draw). That cup, Chile was runner-up after being defeated 1–0 by Germany in the final.
Since 2019, Herrera has performed sporadically as afootball commentator in media such asRadio Cooperativa.[26] Following his retirement from football, in 2021 he definitely joinedTNT Sports Chile to be a panelist for the TV programTodos Somos Técnicos (We Are All Coaches).[27]
Universidad de Chile
Everton
Chile
Chile squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
