| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Javier González Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | (1969-07-14)14 July 1969 (age 56) | ||
| Place of birth | Carreira, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Galicia (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Carreira CF | |||
| Deportivo La Coruña | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1988 | Fabril | ||
| 1988–2005 | Deportivo La Coruña | 550 | (56) |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2000 | Spain | 16 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016– | Galicia | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco Javier González Pérez (Spanish pronunciation:[fɾanˈθiskoxaˈβjeɾɣonˈθaleθˈpeɾeθ]; born 14 July 1969), known asFran, is a Spanish former professionalfootballer.
He spent his entire career withDeportivo as a skilledleft midfielder withpassing ability, helping the club win the firstLa Liga title in its history.[1]
Fran representedSpain atEuro 2000.
Fran, one of the most notable players inDeportivo de La Coruña's history, was born inCarreira,Santa Uxía de Ribeira,Galicia, and was promoted to the first team in 1988, making hisLa Liga debut on 31 August 1991 in a 2–1 away loss againstValencia CF.[2] Quickly established, he only missed eight league games in his first five seasons – also scoring on 24 occasions – while already beingcaptain.[3]
In the1995–96 off-season,Real Madrid almost signed Fran (previously, in early 1992 and unbeknownst to him, he had agreed to a pre-contract with that club after having already put pen to paper to a new deal at Deportivo),[4][5] but he regretted leaving and returned quickly. In1999–2000, asDepor conquered its first national championship, injuries limited him to only 22 matches, and he added a goal in a 2–0 home win over Valencia on 12 March 2000.[6]
Fran retired from football at the end of the2004–05 campaign after 17 years at theEstadio Riazor, 14 in the first division, at the same time asMauro Silva, with both playing their last game on 22 May 2005 in a 3–0 home defeat toRCD Mallorca.[7] He made 700 competitive appearances.[8]
In 2008, Fran returned to Deportivo, joining itsindoor soccer team alongside former teammatesDjalminha,Donato,Noureddine Naybet andJacques Songo'o.[9][10]
Fran made hisSpain national team debut on 27 January 1993, in afriendly 1–1 draw againstMexico inLas Palmas.[11] In total he earned 16caps, participating atUEFA Euro 2000 where he played his last international, a 4–3 group stage victory overYugoslavia.[12]
In April 2016, Fran was appointedGalicia's manager alongsideMíchel Salgado.[13]
Fran's older brother,José Ramón, was also a footballer (and a midfielder). He too spent several seasons with Deportivo, but with much less individual impact.[14]
His sonNicolás is also involved in the sport. Having been brought up atFC Barcelona, he later played forFC Porto[15][16][17] andManchester City.[18][19]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 1999 | Mestalla,Valencia, Spain |  Austria | 9–0 | 9–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 2 | 31 March 1999 | Olimpico,Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino | 1–0 | 6–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
