Victor Munoz gives Liverpool exactly what Andoni Iraola wants after World Cup triumph

Victor Munoz has become the first active Liverpool player to win the World Cup since Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina , and only the sixth overall, after Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in Sunday's final. Munoz is now one of two current Liverpool players to have won international football's biggest trophy alongside Alexis Mac Allister , whose Argentina side beat England 2-1 in their semi-final but were unable to land even a single shot on target against Spain over 120 minutes of football. The other active Reds players to have won the World Cup are Torres, Reina, Gerry Byrne , Ian Callaghan and Roger Hunt. Players who won the competition before or after their time at Anfield include Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Bernard Diomede , Karl-Heinz Riedle and Mac Allister himself, whose 2022 success with Argentina came half a year before his move to Liverpool. Munoz signed from CD Osasuna in June after the Reds activated his €40m (£34m) buyout clause, becoming the first signing of the Andoni Iraola era after the new head coach identified the 23-year-old winger as part of a revamp of Liverpool's options on the flanks. The Reds pipped Newcastle United to the signing, who believed they had a deal agreed only to be gazumped by Liverpool matching Munoz's release clause at the eleventh hour. A calf injury picked up while still at Osasuna threw Munoz's involvement in Spain's World Cup push into doubt ahead of the tournament, and a setback during recovery while at the tournament saw him left out of consideration until the quarter-final against Belgium. All the same, his inclusion in the squad by Luis de la Fuente despite an injury doubt was a show of belief in the former Real Madrid prospect, and the Spain manager tipped his No. 25 to have a big impact. Speaking before Spain's second group game against Saudi Arabia, de la Fuente said: "Victor has had a small muscular problem (oedema) in another area, it is not a relapse. "He's also experienced a lot of emotions and a lot of tension these last few weeks that may have stressed him out. Now he needs calm and tranquillity, and I'm sure we'll see the Victor we know again. "We're working on it. Mark my words, Victor is going to be very important for us in this World Cup." Munoz made an impression on his Spain debut, scoring in a 3-0 win over Serbia in March, but de la Fuente - understandably - didn't turn to him from the bench in the latter stages of the tournament, preferring Nico Williams, who spent Spain's earlier fixtures in the tournament recovering from an injury of his own. While it will have been disappointing not to feature en route to World Cup glory, the experience of having been a part - however small - of Spain's success will no doubt prove to be a valuable one for Munoz. He hasn't been accustomed to success in his young career up until now. Despite showing his quality with Madrid's B-team, Castilla, Munoz's first foray into first-team football with Los Blancos had threatened to derail his confidence entirely. Carlo Ancelotti gave Munoz a baptism of fire by thrusting him into the closing seconds of what was effectively the league title decider away at Barcelona in May 2025. Kylian Mbappe had completed a hat trick to bring the deficit back to one, but the title was slipping away when Munoz found himself clean through on goal with the score at 4-3 in the 89th minute. However, Munoz fired the brilliant chance high and wide. Though his miss wasn't the decisive factor in the destination of the title, it left Barcelona seven points clear at the top, with the Blaugrana ultimately clinching the LaLiga title in the following game against local rivals Espanyol. In an all-too-familiar development, Munoz was forced to disable comments on his social media after angry Madridistas called on the then 21-year-old to retire from football. Munoz went on to prove his value after making a permanent move to Osasuna, but the Pamplona-based club only narrowly avoided relegation by goal difference in the 2025/26 season. Now, having been part of a championship-winning squad, Munoz will likely be even more hungry for success at Liverpool - this time, with the added motivation of being more involved than he was for Spain. Speaking to after winning the FA Cup in 2022 when he became the youngest player to win all six major trophies with an English club - aged 23, the same as Munoz - Trent Alexander-Arnold told The Guardian how tasting success at a young age had left him hungry for even more. "To be able to say I have done that at such a young age is a dream come true and it is motivation to go on and carry on winning more trophies," Alexander-Arnold said. "Hopefully there is a lot more to come. The motivation is to win them all again and keep winning and keep adding to the trophy cabinet." Not only should success create an appetite for further success, but Munoz should gain confidence from being included in a World Cup-winning squad having played third-tier football as recently as last year. Feeling like he belongs at the highest level will do Munoz no harm in settling at Liverpool, and the competition for places is something he should now be used to. Being recognised with a World Cup winners' medal despite his lack of involvement should also be a valuable lesson for Munoz as to how he can contribute to a winning side without necessarily starting or even coming on in games. While first-team football isn't likely to be hard to come by for Munoz next season given the shortage of wingers at Liverpool's disposal, the Reds are still expected to dip back into the transfer market for further reinforcements. Munoz's role will therefore be vital in terms of keeping his team-mates on their toes as well as delivering on the pitch. Squad players are the unsung heroes of winning teams, setting standards in training that their more high-profile teammates must exceed to keep their places - at least, in theory. Iraola looks set to take this approach, utilising his full squad and demanding intensity in training as well as in matches. If Munoz is to succeed at Liverpool, he will have to not only meet standards but help to raise them - and given de la Fuente's belief in him, he should now back himself to rise to the challenge.