| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Flores Lajusticia[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1952-11-26)26 November 1952 (age 72)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Español | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1972 | Español B | ||
| 1972–1976 | Español | 0 | (0) |
| 1972–1973 | →Sabadell (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 1973–1974 | →Calella (loan) | ||
| 1974–1975 | →San Andrés (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 1975–1976 | →Girona (loan) | ||
| 1976–1977 | Jaén | 36 | (18) |
| 1977–1980 | Español | 65 | (13) |
| 1980–1981 | Jaén | 20 | (11) |
| 1981–1982 | Linares | 5 | (1) |
| 1982–1984 | Santboià | ||
| Total | 154 | (45) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984–1985 | Español C (youth) | ||
| 1985–1987 | Español B (youth) | ||
| 1987–1991 | Español (youth) | ||
| 1991–1994 | Cristinenc | ||
| 1994–1997 | Espanyol B | ||
| 1997 | Espanyol | ||
| 1997–1998 | Espanyol (assistant) | ||
| 1998 | Espanyol | ||
| 1999–2000 | Espanyol B | ||
| 2000–2002 | Espanyol | ||
| 2002–2004 | Zaragoza | ||
| 2005–2006 | Almería | ||
| 2006–2007 | Gimnàstic | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco "Paco"Flores Lajusticia (born 26 November 1952) is a Spanish retiredfootballforward andcoach.
His career was closely associated withEspanyol, as both a player and manager.[2]
Born inBarcelona,Catalonia, Flores was brought up at hometown'sRCD Español, being loaned several times during his contract, exclusively in his native region. Subsequently, after having been re-signed fromReal Jaén, he spent threeLa Liga seasons with his main club, scoring eight goals in 33 matches inhis first to help thePericos to the 14th position, just one point above the relegation zone.[3][2] He made his debut in the competition on 3 September 1977 at the age of 25, in a 3–1 away loss toSevilla FC.[4] On 20 November, he netted a late equaliser for the hosts in a 1–1derby draw againstFC Barcelona.[5]
In January 1981, following another stint with Jaén, Flores signed forLinares CF in theSegunda División, but suffered a car accident which nearly cost him the loss of one eye shortly after, leaving the club at the end of hissecond season.[2] Before retiring, he played a couple of years with amateursFC Santboià.[6]
Flores took up coaching in 1984, spending one full decade with Español's youth teams (Espanyol from 1995 onwards). He progressed to theB team in 1994, helping them to promote toSegunda División B in his first season.[2]
Flores was appointed first-team manager with 14 games to go in the1996–97 campaign, replacing the firedVicente Miera[7] and leading Espanyol to the 12th position.[8] He then returned to the reserves for two further seasons.
Flores again came to the rescue of the main squad midway through1999–2000, occupying the position of dismissedMiguel Ángel Brindisi.[9] He managed to lead the team out of relegation (14th place),adding the club's thirdCopa del Rey – againstAtlético Madrid – the first in 60 years, and remained at the helm for a further two full years.[10]
In2002–03, Flores accepted a new challenge withReal Zaragoza,[11][12] helping theAragonese to return to the top flight after one year and being replaced byVíctor Muñoz after the 20th round ofthe following season,[13] which also ended withSpanish Cup win.[14] After 11 second-tier games withUD Almería in the2004–05 campaign,[15] he was in charge of theAndalusians for the full2005–06, leading them to the sixth position.[16]
Flores returned to the top flight in2006–07, replacingLuis César Sampedro atGimnàstic de Tarragona in late November 2006, following a 3–2 home loss againstRCD Mallorca.[17][18] Even though he improved on his predecessor's numbers, it was not good enough to avoid relegation.[19]
Espanyol