David Muta
Papua New Guinean footballer (born 1987)
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David Muta (born 24 October 1987) is a Papua New Guinean forner footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains Hekari United and the Papua New Guinea national team.[2] And he is the manager for the Papua New Guinea national team.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 October 1987 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea[1] | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Papua New Guinea (head coach) | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Hekari United | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Sunshine Coast | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Hekari United | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Sunshine Coast | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Hekari United | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Marist Fire | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Hekari United | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Henderson Eels | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Hekari United | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Papua New Guinea U23 | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2022 | Papua New Guinea | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
| 2025- | Papua New Guinea | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 August 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 March 2022 | ||||||||||||||
Club career
Muta started his playing career with Hekari United in 2006. Two years later, he joined Australian club Sunshine Coast FC and helped his side to win the Queensland State League title.[3]
On 6 December 2008, he played against LA Galaxy in an exhibition match in New Zealand, as part of an Oceania XI All-Star team.[4]
After moving back to Papua New Guinea, Muta captained Hekari United to victory in the OFC Champions League in 2010 and guided the team to the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. At the first match of the tournament, he played the full 90 minutes for his side in the 3–0 defeat to Al Wahda.[5]
International career
Muta represented Papua New Guinea's under-23 team at the 2008 OFC Men's Olympic Football Tournament in Fiji, where he scored 2 goals.
On 27 August 2011, Muta made his senior international debut in a 2011 Pacific Games against Cook Islands, scoring in the 4–0 victory.[6]
Muta was named as captain of Papua New Guinea for the 2016 OFC Nations Cup on home soil. He played in all games and helped his country reach the final for the first time in their history.[7] Despite losing in the final to New Zealand, he was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
International goals
- Scores and results list Papua New Guinea's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 August 2011 | Stade Boewa, Boulari, New Caledonia |  Cook Islands | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2011 Pacific Games |
Honours
Hekari United
- Papua New Guinea National Soccer League: 2006, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013, 2014
- OFC Champions League: 2009–10
Sunshine Coast
- Queensland State League: 2008
Individual
- OFC Nations Cup Golden Ball: 2016
