Herlyn Ysrael Zúñiga Yáñez (born 27 August 1976) is a Peruvian dentist and former footballer who played as a striker for the Peru national team and for clubs including Coventry City, Estudiantes and Melgar. Since retirement, Zúñiga has reverted to dentistry in his homeland, which he obtained qualifications for concurrently during his tenure at Sporting Cristal.
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 three 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 21 caps and scored 3 goals for the Peru.Appearances for Peru National Team - RSSSF
He was recalled against Ecuador in June 2007.
International As of 9 July 2007 PeruYearAppsGoals1999712000101200100200200200310200411200500200600200720Total213
Honours
Club Guardia Republicana Peruvian Segunda División:1995 Sporting Cristal Peruvian Primera División: 2005 Juan Aurich Peruvian First Division: 2011 FBC Melgar Peruvian First Division: 2015
References
External links
Ysrael Zúñiga at Perú.com