Sansón (footballer)

Francisco Bao Rodríguez (20 April 1924 – 13 February 2012), usually nicknamed Sansón, was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Bao and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Sansón
Personal information
Full name Francisco Bao Rodríguez
Date of birth (1924-04-20)20 April 1924
Place of birth Vigo, Spain
Date of death 13 February 2012(2012-02-13) (aged 87)
Place of death Vigo, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Vigués
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1939–1941 Celta 6 (0)
1941–1943 Cultural Leonesa 14 (0)
1943–1945 Sporting Gijón 22 (8)
1945–1950 Oviedo 115 (1)
1950–1955 Celta 40 (0)
1955–1956 Xerez 3 (0)
Total 200 (9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He was the youngest ever player to appear in a La Liga game, when he played for Celta in 1939.[1]

Club career

Born in Vigo, Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Sansón joined local RC Celta de Vigo in 1939. On 31 December of that year, at only 15 years and 255 days old, he made his La Liga debut in a 4–1 away win against Sevilla FC, one of just six league appearances he would make for the club in a combined two seasons, after which he was deemed surplus to requirements due to his age.[2]

In 1943, after two years with Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, Sansón returned to the top division with Sporting de Gijón, although he was again only a reserve at that level. Subsequently, he developed into an important player with Asturias neighbours Real Oviedo – also in the latter tier – playing an average of 23 matches during his stint, which included two top-five finishes.

Sansón returned to Celta for the 1950–51 season, where he was utilised as a defender, midfielder and forward,[2] but he was again almost exclusively a backup (20 games in his third year, a total of only 20 in the other four). After rejecting a new five-year contract for 500.000 pesetas,[2] he retired in 1956 after a spell with Xerez CD, with top flight totals of 167 matches and one goal.

Sansón's record was broken on 24 June 2020, when RCD Mallorca's Luka Romero took the field against Real Madrid.[3]

References
  1. Álvarez, Armando (14 February 2012). "Sansón, nadie antes que él" [Sansón, no one before him]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. "Sansón" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. "Luka Romero, el debutante más joven de la historia de LaLiga" [Luka Romero, LaLiga's youngest ever debutant]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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