_-_%25D0%25BA%25D0%25BE%25D0%25BF%25D0%25B8%25D1%258F.jpg) Alcácer withSpain in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Alcácer García[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-08-30)30 August 1993 (age 32)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Torrent, Spain[2] | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Monte-Sión | ||
| 2003–2005 | Torrent | ||
| 2005–2009 | Valencia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2012 | Valencia B | 64 | (42) |
| 2010–2016 | Valencia | 93 | (30) |
| 2012–2013 | →Getafe (loan) | 20 | (3) |
| 2016–2019 | Barcelona | 37 | (10) |
| 2018–2019 | →Borussia Dortmund (loan) | 14 | (12) |
| 2019–2020 | Borussia Dortmund | 23 | (11) |
| 2020–2022 | Villarreal | 58 | (11) |
| 2022–2025 | Sharjah | 34 | (9) |
| 2023–2024 | →Emirates (loan) | 22 | (8) |
| International career | |||
| 2009 | Spain U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Spain U17 | 11 | (14) |
| 2011 | Spain U18 | 3 | (5) |
| 2011–2012 | Spain U19 | 16 | (7) |
| 2013 | Spain U20 | 7 | (3) |
| 2013 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2019 | Spain | 19 | (12) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 06:55, 9 February 2025 (UTC) | |||
Francisco "Paco"Alcácer García (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈpakoalˈkaθeɾ]; born 30 August 1993) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as astriker.
Having come through theValencia youth ranks, he started playing with the first team in 2010, and became a regular following a loan atGetafe, totalling 43 goals in 118 matches. In 2016 he signed forBarcelona for €30 million, winning twoCopa del Rey trophies and the2017–18 La Liga during his spell as a reserve toLuis Suárez before leaving forBorussia Dortmund on loan. He signed a permanent deal in Germany in early 2019 after a successful start. He returned to Spain in January 2020, winning the2020–21 UEFA Europa League withVillarreal.
Alcácer won theEuropean Championship twice withSpain's under-19 side, and made hissenior international debut in 2014.
Born inTorrent,Valencian Community, Alcácer was a product ofValencia's youth system. He made his senior debut in the2009–10 season aged only 16, scoring three goals in 15 games withthe reserve side and suffering relegation fromSegunda División B.
On 11 November 2010, Alcácer appeared in his first match with the first team, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 home win againstUD Logroñés –7–1 on aggregate – in theCopa del Rey (the fixture was alsoIsco's senior bow).[4] Duringthat season, he netted 27 times to help the B's to return to the third tier as champions.[5][6]
On 12 August 2011, after Alcácer had scored the third and final goal in a 3–0friendly win overRoma and was leaving theMestalla Stadium accompanied by his parents, his father fell to the ground after suffering aheart attack; despite 30 minutes of efforts by medics to revive him, the 44-year-old died.[7] He returned to training less than a week later for "therapy purposes",[8] and played the entirety of a fixture with the reserves three days after that.[9]
Alcácer made hisLa Liga debut for Valencia on 14 January 2012, coming on as asubstitute forSofiane Feghouli for the last 20 minutes of a 1–0 away loss againstReal Sociedad.[10] He made two other brief appearances from the bench, whilst scoring at the rate of one goal every two games with the B team.[9]
Alcácer went on loan toGetafe for2012–13,[11] his first official game being againstDeportivo de La Coruña where he played 20 minutes in an eventual 1–1 away draw.[12] He scored his first goal in the top division on 7 January 2013, but in a 3–1 defeat atRayo Vallecano.[13]
During his spell inMadrid, Alcácer netted four times in total.[14]
After returning to Valencia, Alcácer scored his first senior goal for his formative club on 3 October 2013, during an away game againstKuban Krasnodar inthe group stage of theUEFA Europa League.[15] He first found the net forLos Che in the domestic league on 25 January 2014 in a 2–2 home draw withEspanyol,[16] and grabbed another the following matchday, scoring the 3–2 winner at theCamp Nou againstBarcelona.[17]
On 10 April 2014, Alcácer scored the firsthat-trick of his professional career, helping overturn a 3–0 first-leg deficit to beatBasel 5–0 at home and qualify for the semi-finals of the Europa League.[18][19] It was his 14th competitive goal ofthe campaign, and his seventh in continental competition;[20][21] this European haul made him the edition's second-highest scorer after compatriotJonathan Soriano, who netted eight forRed Bull Salzburg.[22]
On 17 August 2014, Alcácer scored the first goal in a 2–1 home victory overMilan for theOrange Trophy, through a long-range shot,[23] and was assigned the number ′9′ jersey for2014–15, previously worn byHélder Postiga. On 9 December, near the end of a 1–1 draw atGranada, he was given a straightred card for strikingJuan Carlos.[24]
On 27 January 2015, it was revealed that Alcácer extended his contract until 2020 and hisbuyout clause had been raised to €80 million.[25]
On 7 November 2015, Alcácer andDani Parejo scored twice each in a 5–1 win away to third-placeCelta.[26] The following 21 January, the latter was stripped of hiscaptaincy in favour of the former by managerGary Neville, after a poor run of results.[27]
After three months without a goal, Alcácer broke his barren spell with a hat-trick in a 4–0 home defeat ofEibar on 20 April 2016.[28] He finishedthe season with 15 in all competitions, in an eventual 12th-place finish.[29]
On 30 August 2016, Alcácer signed for Barcelona for €30 million on a five-year deal,[30] and on the same dayMunir El Haddadi went in the other direction on loan, to be replaced by the former as the team's fourth-choice forward behindLionel Messi,Neymar andLuis Suárez.[31] He made his debut on 10 September in a 1–2 home loss toAlavés, making only eight passes in 66 minutes before being substituted by Suárez.[32]
Alcácer scored his first official goal for theBlaugrana on 21 December 2016, helping with the fifth in a 7–0 home rout ofHércules to see his team qualify for the round of 16 inthe Spanish Cup.[33] The following 4 February, he netted a first league goal for his new team in a 3–0 home victory againstAthletic Bilbao, starting in place of the rested Suárez.[34]
Filling in for the suspended Suárez, Alcácer played the full 90 minutes in thedomestic cup final, scoring Barcelona's last goal in the 3–1 defeat of Alavés.[35] On 5 November 2017, he netted a brace in a 2–1 home win againstSevilla that kept his team four points clear at the top of theleague table.[36] He scored his first goal for the club in theUEFA Champions League one month later, helping to a2–0 group stage victory overSporting CP.[37]
On 28 August 2018, Alcácer joinedBundesliga teamBorussia Dortmund on aseason-long loan with an option to buy.[38] He made his debut on 14 September, replacingMaximilian Philipp midway through the second half of the home fixture againstEintracht Frankfurt and scored the final goal in a 3–1 win.[39] He added five goals coming off the bench in his next two matches, two late goals to seal a 4–2 victory atBayer Leverkusen,[40] and a hat-trick in a 4–3 defeat ofAugsburg at theWestfalenstadion in which he won the game with afree kick in the last minute.[41]
On 18 December 2018, Alcácer scored his tenth goal from the bench for the season in a 2–1 away loss toFortuna Düsseldorf, and in doing so set a new Bundesliga record for the most goals scored in a single campaign by a substitute.[42] The club exercised their option to sign him permanently for €23 million on 1 February 2019,[43] and he signed a five-year contract.[44][45]
Alcácer finished2018–19 with 18 league goals, trailing onlyBayern Munich'sRobert Lewandowski fortop scorer, but lost his place the following January after the signing ofErling Haaland.[46] He won his only trophy on 3 August 2019, opening the scoring in a2–0 win over Bayern in theDFL-Supercup.[47]
Alcácer returned to Spain's top flight on 30 January 2020, agreeing to a five-and-a-half-year deal atVillarreal and becoming the club's most expensive signing ever in the process at €25 million.[48] He scored on his debut againstOsasuna, helping the hosts to win 3–1.[49]
Alcácer netted six times for the2020–21 Europa League winners, playing the last 13 minutes of the second half and converting his attempt in thepenalty shootout victory overManchester United inthe final.[50][51]
On 17 August 2022, Alcácer was due to joinUAE Pro League clubSharjah on aseason-long loan.[52] Two days later, however, after terminating his contract with Villarreal by mutual consent, he signed a permanent three-year deal.[53] He made his debut on 3 September, concluding a 2–0 win atShabab Al Ahli.[54] On 21 October, hisfree kick was the only goal ofthe final of theUAE President's Cup – delayed for six months after the death ofSheikh Khalifa – againstAl Wahda, ending his team's 19-year drought in the tournament.[55]
Alcácer was loaned toEmirates Club in the same league on 15 September 2023.[56]
Alcácer representedSpain at allyouth levels. With theunder-17 side, he reached the final at the2010 UEFA European Championship, playing alongside Valencia teammateJuan Bernat and being crowned the competition's top scorer with six goals, his 14 including qualifiers setting a new record;[57] additionally, he won theEuropean Under-19 Championship twice, in2011[58] and2012.[59]
On 29 August 2014, Alcácer was named by full side managerVicente del Bosque in a 23-man squad for matches againstFrance andMacedonia in September,[60] making his debut on 4 September after replacingDiego Costa midway through the second half of an eventual 1–0 friendly loss to the former.[61] Profiting from Costa's injury, he made his first start four days later, against Macedonia at theEstadi Ciutat de València, scoring his team's second goal in a 5–1 victory for theUEFA Euro 2016qualifiers and also providing theassist forSergio Busquets' third.[62] In their next qualifier, away toSlovakia on 9 October, the substitute scored an 82nd-minute equaliser, although Spain went on to lose 2–1.[63]
A year later to the day, as a first-half replacement for the injuredÁlvaro Morata, Alcácer scored twice in a 4–0 win overLuxembourg which sealed qualification,[64] and he finished the qualification campaign with five goals, the most by a Spanish player.[65] He was not selected for the final tournament in France, however.[66]
In October 2018, amidst a good start to his spell at Dortmund and more than two years after his last international appearance, Alcácer was called back by new managerLuis Enrique for the games againstWales andEngland.[67] He scored a brace in the first match, a 4–1 friendly victory inCardiff.[68] Spain lost 2–3 in the second, but he came on as a substitute in the second half and scored with his first touch of the ball, through a glancing header into the far post corner of the goal which beatJordan Pickford.[69]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Valencia B | 2009–10 | Segunda División B | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | 15 | 3 | |||
| 2010–11 | Tercera División | 25 | 27 | — | — | 2[b] | 1 | 27 | 28 | |||
| 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 24 | 12 | — | — | — | 24 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 42 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 66 | 43 | ||||
| Valencia | 2010–11 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | La Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 23 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 11[c] | 7 | — | 37 | 14 | ||
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 32 | 11 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 36 | 14 | |||
| 2015–16 | La Liga | 34 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 9[d] | 0 | — | 46 | 15 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 93 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 43 | ||
| Getafe (loan) | 2012–13 | La Liga | 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 4 | ||
| Barcelona | 2016–17 | La Liga | 20 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 8 |
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 17 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2[e] | 1 | 1[f] | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
| Total | 37 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 15 | ||
| Borussia Dortmund (loan) | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4[e] | 1 | — | 18 | 13 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | — | 14 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2[e] | 0 | 1[g] | 1 | 15 | 7 | |
| Dortmund total | 37 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 26 | ||
| Villarreal | 2019–20 | La Liga | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 27 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 10[c] | 6 | — | 39 | 12 | ||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3[e] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| Total | 58 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 21 | ||
| Sharjah | 2022–23 | UAE Pro League | 25 | 8 | 5 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | 35 | 9 | |
| 2023–24 | UAE Pro League | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 27 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 10 | ||
| Emirates | 2023–24 | UAE Pro League | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Career total | 338 | 129 | 33 | 16 | 45 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 425 | 163 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2014 | 5 | 3 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 | |
| Total | 19 | 12 | |
Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Alcácer goal.[72]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 September 2014 | Ciutat de València,Valencia, Spain |  Macedonia | 2–0 | 5–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 2. | 9 October 2014 | Štadión pod Dubňom,Žilina, Slovakia |  Slovakia | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 3. | 12 October 2014 | Josy Barthel,Luxembourg, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 4. | 11 June 2015 | Reino de León,León, Spain |  Costa Rica | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5. | 9 October 2015 | Las Gaunas,Logroño, Spain | Luxembourg | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 6. | 3–0 | |||||
| 7. | 11 October 2018 | Millennium Stadium,Cardiff, Wales |  Wales | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 8. | 3–0 | |||||
| 9. | 15 October 2018 | Benito Villamarín,Seville, Spain |  England | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League A |
| 10. | 5 September 2019 | Arena Națională,Bucharest, Romania |  Romania | 2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 11. | 8 September 2019 | El Molinón,Gijón, Spain |  Faroe Islands | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 12. | 4–0 |
Valencia Mestalla
Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund
Villarreal
Sharjah
Spain U19
Individual
