The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Honduras. Former CONCACAF Gold Cup winners Honduras have reached three World Cup Finals tournaments in their history, including two of the last three. According to the Premier League website, six players have represented Honduras in the Premier League.
First Player – Milton Núñez (Sunderland; 2000-~2001)
Milton Núñez’s Premier League career will not be remembered for the time he spent on the pitch. Núñez managed one appearance for the Black Cats after signing for a seven-figure fee on transfer deadline day in March 2000.
His story is famous on Wearside however, with rumours around mistaken identity and deception rife. It is widely speculated that Sunderland actually intended to sign Núñez’s teammate during a spell at Greek side PAOK, Núñez himself appearing to fan the flames of such a gaffe in recent interviews.
Another conspiracy theory suggests Sunderland were misled about Núñez’s former club. It is believed in some circles that Sunderland were led to believe that Núñez was employed Nacional, whereas he was actually at a club in the Uruguayan third division with a similar name. Sunderland even took legal action. This story is rivalled only by that of the great Ali Dia in terms of its utter outrageousness.
Records
- Most Appearances – Maynor Figueroa (214)
- First appearance – Milton Núñez (SUNDERLAND 2-1 Wimbledon, April 8th 2000)
- Most goals – Maynor Figueroa (4)
- First goal – Maynor Figueroa (WIGAN 1-0 Spurs, January 11th 2009)
Current/Most Recent Players
No Hondurans have featured in the Premier League since 2015 when Maynor Figueroa and Wilson Palacios left Hull and Stoke respectively. Hendry Thomas and Roger Espinoza also featured within the last decade, while Ivan Guerrero made three appearances in the early 2000s.
Trivia
- Honduras are one of 16 CONCACAF nations to have featured in the Premier League.
- Four of the six Honduran Premier League players played for Wigan Athletic.
- Only 19 players have won more FIFA recognised international caps than Maynor Figueroa (156).
