Ask anyone in Spain about Victor Munoz and the replies all centre on the same thing. His speed.

‘He was the Formula One car of Real Madrid’s academy,’ one source tells us, while another opens with a word that needs no translation: explosivo.

But Munoz, who sped away from Brentford’s back four like a racecar on Saturday to score a thumping goal, has not always enjoyed life in the fast lane.

Indeed, as a Real Madrid fan who spent his formative years in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, the 23-year-old’s journey has been far from linear.

After being dumped by Barca at 14, he was picked up by Real at 18 but made just four first-team appearances. He was deemed surplus to requirements and shipped off to Osasuna for around £5million in 2025.

Munoz hasn't looked back since. Just over a year later, he is a World Cup winner, and excelling back at one of the biggest clubs in world football.

The winger has taken to life in the Premier League with ease. While pundits have criticised some of Liverpool’s big-money buys, this £34.5m summer signing has gone above and beyond expectations.

‘After leaving Barcelona, he excelled at Damm, a respected development club in Catalonia,’ explains Fernando Sanchez Tavero, a Spanish football expert for the newspaper AS. ‘His performances were so impressive that Barcelona wanted him back.

‘But Real Madrid also came calling, and he did not hesitate. At La Fabrica (their academy), he always stood out for two things: his professionalism and his extraordinary athleticism. Other players attracted more headlines and attention along the way, but Victor never stopped working.

‘He never complained and never gave up. He just kept improving. In his final season with Castilla, everything clicked. He looked like a Formula One car on a football pitch. He was clocked at speeds of up to 23 miles per hour.

‘Suddenly people began to realise just how special his physical qualities were.’

Funnily enough, Munoz’s debut for Real came against his old employers in El Clasico. It was a 4-3 defeat where he missed a one-on-one chance to equalise. He ended up deactivating his social media accounts following the inevitable and depressing online backlash from Madridistas.

AC Milan came knocking but Munoz instead chose the project at Osasuna, which he saw as being built around him rather than just being a spare part at San Siro.

‘That decision proved crucial,’ adds Tavero. ‘Step by step, he evolved into an international player, earned his place with Spain and became a world champion. None of it happened by accident.

‘For years, he has lived with almost Spartan discipline. While other young players struggled with routines, nutrition or consistency, Victor followed every detail relentlessly. Those habits are a major reason why he has been able to thrive once he reached the highest level.

‘His biggest attributes are his pace, power, intensity and ability to attack space, but there is also a maturity to his game that people sometimes overlook. He knows how to wait for the right moment, how to take his opportunities and how to develop without rushing the process.

‘He never tries to run before he can walk. And when he does run, he usually does it faster than anyone else! That combination of elite athleticism, professionalism, humility and constant improvement is what makes him such a valuable player.’

Liverpool saw all of the above and Munoz became Andoni Iraola’s first signing. He has already surpassed the first buys of Iraola's two predecessors: Arne Slot’s first purchase was Federico Chiesa, who has still not really settled, and Jurgen Klopp’s was Marko Grujic, who made just eight Premier League appearances in four years.

But the fact Munoz was Iraola’s maiden buy is notable. Liverpool, remember, were planning for this campaign with Slot in charge until a late change of heart in the week following last season – so the early recruitment meetings with the new manager saw some realigning.

Iraola, as a La Liga obsessive, knew Munoz well and when his name was flagged by the recruitment team, demanded Liverpool go for him. Iraola knew the Osasuna manager Alessio Lisci and received a strong reference.

The Reds’ scout Kiko Espinar is said to have played a part in the signing, too.

Real Madrid had an option to sign Munoz on a buyback clause but he was less keen to return to the club he supported as a boy.

Newcastle were front-runners to sign him. They had agreed a fee and personal terms but then Liverpool swooped in. It had echoes of a similar saga the summer before, when the Reds hijacked the North East club’s deal for Hugo Ekitike.

‘Victor is a player we knew very well,’ said Iraola ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Villarreal.

‘Attitude wise, he is ready to help, he plays right, left, the other day he played right back. He is a player with hunger, he has not played professionally in a big club like Liverpool but he has been in the academy of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

‘He trained with those teams and knows the level that is required. With the national team, he has experience and he is a player that is adapting really well.’

Munoz won possession in the final third of the pitch on 22 occasions in La Liga last season – only six players did so more. That suits Iraola, who demands a high-intensity style.

So far at Anfield, he has drifted in and out of the starting XI, with huge competition on the wings. Cody Gakpo, Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha and Munoz all have different traits and competition is fierce.

Munoz has been making 23 sprints per 90 minutes in the Premier League: for comparison, Mohamed Salah last season made 13 per 90. Barcola is averaging 16, Gakpo nine and Ngumoha 13 this term. He has reached a top speed of 22mph, which makes him Liverpool's second-fastest player, behind only Barcola.

Munoz's goals per 90 minutes in the League is 0.42, and he is Liverpool’s most lethal winger. Barcola and Ngumoha are yet to score, while Gakpo is on 0.24. Last season, Salah finished with 0.29 goals per 90 minutes, Gakpo 0.23, Ngumoha 0.33. It's a small sample size, but impressive nonetheless.

Off the pitch, Munoz, whose mother was a hairdresser and father worked in a hospital, is said to have settled well.

He practises ‘mindfulness’ and takes online sessions on this topic. ‘At first, I went to in-person sessions, and now we continue online,’ he told Pamplona newspaper Diario de Navarra before the World Cup.

‘It helps me a lot to manage pressure, injuries, and even the good times, which can sometimes be hard to process. You have to train your mind just like you train your legs.’

Munoz is said to be a quiet personality who likes the music of American rapper Eladio Carrion and enjoys going for walks and cooking.

He certainly doesn't do much walking on the pitch – this electrifying talent has set Liverpool’s attack alight.