We ask, two years into London life, how he’s enjoying the city: “Honestly, I like everything about London.
“I don’t really have one single favourite place to go here though… I could say my favourite places are the training ground and Selhurst Park!”
Muñoz smiles as he speaks, his words – you can tell – coming straight from the heart.
It is little wonder he became a hero in his boyhood surroundings of Medellin, going on to captain his local club Atlético Nacional at the age of 23, and why he draws so much pride in being a leading figure for both Crystal Palace and Colombia.
His passion for the latter comes to the fore when the topic of the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes up. Los Cafeteros are widely considered dark horses, having reached the 2024 Copa América Final – an extra-time defeat to Argentina ending their 28-game, 29-month unbeaten streak – and finished third in South American qualification.
Colombia’s best result at a World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in 2014, but Muñoz lays down a challenge to his teammates: “We have a generation which was able to make that leap in quality. We reached the final of the Copa América – our first since 2001.
“We have a lot of talent, and we are more than a team – we are a family. It is difficult to create a team like that, but we have achieved it.
“Now, we have to make that next step in quality, which is to reach the final of the World Cup – and win it – for this group to actually say we are a golden generation.
“The idea of playing at the World Cup, I think that excites any player. But we want to go not just to be there – we want to go with a clear goal: to win the World Cup.”