Francisco (footballer, born 1962)

Francisco Javier López Alfaro (born 1 November 1962), known simply as Francisco, is a Spanish retired football central midfielder and manager.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Alfaro.

Francisco
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier López Alfaro
Date of birth (1962-11-01) 1 November 1962
Place of birth Osuna, Spain
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Sevilla
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1990 Sevilla 258 (20)
1990–1997 Espanyol 207 (27)
Total 465 (47)
National team
1981 Spain U18 2 (0)
1981 Spain U19 4 (0)
1981 Spain U20 3 (1)
1983–1984 Spain U21 9 (1)
1983 Spain amateur 2 (0)
1982–1986 Spain 20 (1)
Teams managed
1998–2000 Espanyol (youth)
2000–2001 Coria
2001–2002 Jaén
2002–2003 Extremadura
2003–2004 Figueres
2004–2005 Numancia
2006–2008 Badalona
2008 Eivissa-Ibiza
2009 Atlético Baleares
2010 Sevilla C
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Francisco was born in Osuna, Province of Seville, Andalusia. During his career he represented Sevilla FC, his hometown club, and RCD Espanyol, playing in 436 La Liga matches. He finished his first season in the competition with 20 games – all starts – and one goal, helping Sevilla finish seventh.

In the 1992–93 campaign, Francisco experienced top flight relegation with the Catalans, but achieved promotion in the immediate year always as an important first-team element. He retired at the end of 1996–97, aged nearly 35.[1]

Francisco began working as a manager with Espanyol's youth sides, then proceeded to coach Coria CF, Real Jaén, CF Extremadura, UE Figueres, and top-flight club CD Numancia:[2] in the 2004–05 season he was dismissed after ten rounds,[3] as the team was eventually relegated. In July 2006, he joined Segunda División B club CF Badalona.

Midway through the 2008–09 campaign, Francisco was sacked as coach of CD Atlético Baleares, also of the third tier. Subsequently, he was appointed at Sevilla FC C, playing in the Tercera División.

International career

Francisco earned 20 caps and scored one goal for Spain, and was selected for both the UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments.[4] His debut came on 27 October 1982 in a 1–0 win against Iceland in the Euro 1984 qualifiers.[5]

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.24 September 1986El Molinón, Gijón, Spain Greece2–03–1Friendly

Honours

Player
Espanyol

References
  1. FRANCISCO López; Hall of Fame Perico, 25 May 2009 (in Spanish)
  2. Alfaro lands at Numancia; UEFA, 6 July 2004
  3. Alfaro ousted at Numancia; UEFA, 8 November 2004
  4. "Del utillero falangista al positivo de Calderé: nuestro Mundial 86 en diez episodios" [From the falangista kit man to Calderé's positive: our 86 World Cup in ten episodes]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). 21 May 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  5. "1–0: Pobre resultado para la nueva selección" [1–0: Poor result for the new national team]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 October 1982. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
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