| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Javier Álvarez Rodríguez | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-01-21)21 January 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Benidorm, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Widzew Łódź | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Villarreal | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Villarreal C | 31 | (4) |
| 2017–2020 | Villarreal B | 33 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Valladolid B | 29 | (6) |
| 2021–2023 | Albacete | 60 | (4) |
| 2023– | Widzew Łódź | 71 | (18) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 October 2025 | |||
Francisco Javier "Fran"Álvarez Rodríguez (born 21 January 1998) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder for Polish clubWidzew Łódź.
Born inSocovos,Albacete,Castilla-La Mancha,[1] Álvarez was aVillarreal CF youth graduate.[2]
He made his senior debut withthe reserves on 19 August 2017, coming on as a second-halfsubstitute forDani Raba in a 1–0Segunda División B away win overCD Atlético Baleares,[3][4] but spent the vast majority of the campaign playing forthe C-team inTercera División.[3]
On 16 January 2020, Álvarez moved to anotherreserve team,Real Valladolid Promesas, which was also in the third division.[5]
On 7 July 2021, he signed a one-year deal withAlbacete Balompié,freshly relegated toPrimera División RFEF.[6]
On 21 June 2022, after being regularly used asAlbaachieved promotion to the second division, Álvarez signed a new one-year contract with the club.[7] He made his professional debut on 9 October, replacing goalscorerManu Fuster in a 1–1 home draw againstCD Tenerife.[8]
Álvarez scored his first professional goal on 7 May 2023, netting the opener in a 5–0 away routing ofUD Ibiza.[3][9]
On 26 June, he moved abroad for the first time in his career and signed a two-year contract with PolishEkstraklasa sideWidzew Łódź,[10] where he was assigned squad number #10. He debuted in his new club on 23 July 2023 in a 3–2 home victory overPuszcza Niepołomice. He also scored his first goal for Widzew in the 35th minute of that match. During that season, he played 31 times (of which 28Ekstraklasa matches were played and three in thePolish Cup).[11] On 1 September 2024, he was given two yellow cards and, as a consequence, he received a red card and was sent off the pitch.[12][13][14][15]