Paco López (footballer)
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Francisco José López Fernández | ||
Date of birth | 19 September 1967 | ||
Place of birth | Silla, Spain | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Valencia | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1985–1989 | Valencia B | ||
1989 | Carcaixent | ||
1989–1991 | Torrent | 34 | (8) |
1991–1994 | Hércules | 90 | (23) |
1994–1995 | Extremadura | 7 | (1) |
1995 | Levante | 16 | (11) |
1995–1998 | Castellón | 89 | (28) |
1998–1999 | Murcia | 29 | (7) |
1999–2002 | Benidorm | ||
Managerial career | |||
2004–2005 | Villarreal C | ||
2005–2008 | Catarroja | ||
2008–2009 | Benidorm | ||
2009–2011 | Alcoyano | ||
2011 | Cartagena | ||
2012–2013 | Valencia B | ||
2013–2014 | Villarreal C | ||
2014–2017 | Villarreal B | ||
2017–2018 | Levante B | ||
2018–2021 | Levante | ||
2022–2023 | Granada | ||
2024 | Cádiz | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Francisco José "Paco" López Fernández (born 19 September 1967) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward.
In his playing career, he achieved Segunda División totals of 28 games and three goals for Hércules and Extremadura, but spent most of his years in Segunda División B in service of six clubs.
As a manager, López worked mainly in the lower leagues, and spent three and a half years in charge of Levante in La Liga.
Playing career
[edit]Born in Silla, Province of Valencia, López graduated from Valencia CF's youth setup. He made his senior debut with the reserves in the Tercera División.[1]
In the summer of 1991, López joined Segunda División B club Hércules CF. After appearing regularly in the 1992–93 season, which ended in promotion, he played his first match as a professional on 19 September 1993, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away loss against Real Burgos CF in the Segunda División.[2]
López scored his first professional goal on 16 October 1993, his team's third in a 4–0 home win over Villarreal CF.[3] In 1994, he moved to CF Extremadura also in the second tier.[1]
After being sparingly played, López signed with division three side Levante UD in January 1995. In July, he moved to CD Castellón in the same league,[1] and scored a career-best 16 goals in the 1997–98 campaign.[4]
In 1998, López joined Real Murcia CF. At the end of the season, he dropped down to Tercera División and signed for Benidorm CF, eventually retiring at the age of 34.[4]
Coaching career
[edit]López started working as a manager in 2004, with Villarreal's third team. In July 2008, after three full seasons at Catarroja CF, he signed with a club he had represented as a player, Benidorm.[5]
On 16 July 2009, López was appointed at CD Alcoyano also in the third division.[6] He was dismissed on 11 April 2011, after falling from first to fourth in only five matches.[7]
López joined division two club FC Cartagena on 27 May 2011.[8] He was relieved of his duties on 19 September, after failing to collect one single point in the first four games.[9]
López returned to Mestalla on 24 October 2012, replacing the fired Sergio Ventosa.[10] On 17 June of the following year, having narrowly avoided relegation from the third tier, he left[11] and returned to Villarreal C on 13 November.[12]
On 22 May 2014, López was promoted to the reserves following the departure of Lluís Planagumà.[13] On 22 June 2017, he moved to another reserve team, Atlético Levante UD also in the third division.[14]
López was named manager of the main squad on 4 March 2018, after Juan Ramón Muñiz's dismissal.[15] His first match in La Liga took place six days later, and he led his side to a 1–0 away win against Getafe CF.[16]
López signed a one-year contract with an option for a further season on 8 May 2018,[17] and five days later his team ended FC Barcelona's unbeaten league run by defeating the opposition 5–4 at home.[18] In 2020–21, he led the Granotes to their first Copa del Rey semi-final after defeating Villarreal in the last minute of extra time;[19] they lost that tie 3–2 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao, in the same fashion.[20]
On 4 October 2021, López was fired, having earned only four points from as many draws at the start of the season. He had managed a club record 133 top-flight games, and had a lower losses percentage in the division than any other Levante coach bar Joaquín Caparrós.[21]
On 9 November 2022, after more than a year of inactivity, López replaced Aitor Karanka at the helm of second-division side Granada CF.[22] He achieved promotion in his debut campaign as champions,[23] but was dismissed on 26 November 2023 after a poor start to the new season.[24]
López took over from Mauricio Pellegrino at Cádiz CF in June 2024; the Andalusians had just been relegated from the top tier.[25] On 8 December, following three losses in one week and just 18 points from 18 matches,[26][27] he was sacked.[28]
Managerial statistics
[edit]- As of match played 7 December 2024
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
Villarreal C | 30 June 2004 | 1 July 2005 | 34 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 66 | 17 | +49 | 67.65 | [29] | |
Catarroja | 1 July 2005 | 22 July 2008 | 126 | 53 | 29 | 44 | 155 | 141 | +14 | 42.06 | [30] | |
Benidorm | 22 July 2008 | 22 March 2009 | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 29.41 | [31] | |
Alcoyano | 16 July 2009 | 11 April 2011 | 78 | 36 | 22 | 20 | 96 | 65 | +31 | 46.15 | [32] | |
Cartagena | 27 May 2011 | 19 September 2011 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0.00 | [33] | |
Valencia B | 24 October 2012 | 17 June 2013 | 29 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 31.03 | [34] | |
Villarreal C | 13 November 2013 | 22 May 2014 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 22 | +15 | 48.00 | [35] | |
Villarreal B | 22 May 2014 | 25 May 2017 | 116 | 50 | 36 | 30 | 171 | 118 | +53 | 43.10 | [36] | |
Levante B | 22 June 2017 | 4 March 2018 | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 60.00 | [37] | |
Levante | 4 March 2018 | 3 October 2021 | 147 | 49 | 41 | 57 | 207 | 221 | −14 | 33.33 | [38] | |
Granada | 9 November 2022 | 26 November 2023 | 44 | 19 | 9 | 16 | 65 | 55 | +10 | 43.18 | [39] | |
Cádiz | 1 June 2024 | 8 December 2024 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 25.00 | [40] | |
Total | 688 | 284 | 188 | 216 | 943 | 767 | +176 | 41.28 | — |
Honours
[edit]Granada
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Polit, Paco (8 February 2016). "Paco López: «Cuando eres jugador sólo piensas en ti; cuando eres entrenador, en lo de 25 personas»" [Paco López: "When you are a player you only think about yourself; when you are a manager, about what concerns 25 people"] (in Spanish). Esportbase. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Va por ti, Balint (Here's looking at you, Balint); Mundo Deportivo, 20 September 1993 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Hércules no da ninguna opción (Hércules do not give a chance); Mundo Deportivo, 17 October 1993 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Regreso por un día al banco de Castalia de un señor goleador (One hell of a scorer returns to Castalia bench for one day); El Periódico Mediterráneo, 11 September 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López, a Foietes (Paco López, to Foietes); Diario Información, 22 July 2008 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López cree que es un ´desafío´ dirigir al Alcoyano (Paco López believes it is a 'challenge' to manage Alcoyano); Diario Información, 16 July 2009 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López, destituido como entrenador del Alcoyano (Paco López, dismissed as Alcoyano manager); La Verdad, 11 April 2011 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López será el técnico del Cartagena la próxima campaña (Paco López will be the manager of Cartagena in the following season); Marca, 27 May 2011 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López deja el Cartagena y llega Javi López (Paco López leaves Cartagena and Javi López arrives); Diario AS, 19 September 2011 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López ficha por el Valencia Mestalla (Paco López signs for Valencia Mestalla) Archived 13 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine; La Verdad, 24 October 2012 (in Spanish)
- ^ Rufete comunica a Paco López que no seguirá en el Valencia Mestalla (Rufete tells Paco López that he will not remain at Valencia Mestalla); Deporte Valenciano, 17 June 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ Oficial: Villarreal"C", Paco López nuevo entrenador (Official: Villarreal "C", Paco López new manager); Todo Mercado Web, 13 November 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López tomará las riendas del Villarreal B (Paco López will take the reins of Villarreal B); Levante-EMV, 22 May 2014 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López, nuevo entrenador del Atlético Levante UD (Paco López, new manager of Atlético Levante UD); Levante UD, 22 June 2017 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López nuevo entrenador de la primera plantilla del Levante UD (Paco López new manager of Levante UD's first team); Levante UD, 4 March 2018 (in Spanish)
- ^ Coke da otra vida al Levante (Coke gives new life to Levante); Marca, 10 March 2018 (in Spanish)
- ^ Paco López to coach Levante UD next season; Levante UD, 8 May 2018
- ^ Levante stun Barcelona in nine-goal epic to end unbeaten run; Diario AS, 13 May 2018
- ^ Feehely, Alan (3 February 2021). "Watch: Last-minute winner sends Levante into the Copa del Rey semi-final at Villarreal's expense". Football España. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Levante 1–2 Athletic Bilbao". BBC Sport. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Two LaLiga Santander coaches fired in 24 hours: Paco Lopez then Michel". Marca. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Comunicado Oficial | Paco López, nuevo entrenador del Granada CF" [Official announcement | Paco López, new manager of Granada CF] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ a b Arenillas, Álvaro (27 May 2023). "Paco López no recuerda algo igual" [Paco López does not remember anything like this] (in Spanish). Estadio Deportivo. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Comunicado Oficial | Paco López" [Official announcement | Paco López] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Paco López, nuevo entrenador del Cádiz CF" [Paco López, new manager of Cádiz CF] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Paco López, destituido como entrenador del Cádz [sic]" [Paco López, dismissed as manager of Cádiz] (in Spanish). Infobae. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Cano, Rafael (8 December 2024). "Los banquillos de la Liga Hypermotion queman: Paco López es destituido por el Cádiz" [Hypermotion League benches are on fire: Paco López is dismissed by Cádiz] (in Spanish). El Día de Córdoba. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Paco López deja de ser entrenador del Cádiz" [Paco López is no longer manager of Cádiz] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ "Regional Preferente Valenciana (Grupo 1) 2004–05" [Regional Preferente Valenciana (Group 1) 2004–05] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 6) 2005–06" [Tercera División (Group 6) 2005–06] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Tercera División (Grupo 6) 2006–07" [Tercera División (Group 6) 2006–07] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Tercera División (Grupo 6) 2007–08" [Tercera División (Group 6) 2007–08] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 2007–08" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B 2007–08] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016. - ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 July 2016. - ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 6) 2013–14" [Tercera División (Group 6) 2013–14] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Segunda División B (Grupo 3) 2014–15" [Segunda División B (Group 3) 2014–15] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Segunda División B (Grupo 3) 2015–16" [Segunda División B (Group 3) 2015–16] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Fase de ascenso a Segunda División 2015–16" [Promotion phase to Segunda División 2015–16] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 14 October 2016. - ^ "At. Levante" (in Spanish). Resultados Fútbol. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 9 December 2022. - ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
"Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 1 June 2024. - ^ "Paco López: Francisco José López Fernández". BDFutbol. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
External links
[edit]- Paco López at BDFutbol
- Paco López manager profile at BDFutbol
- Paco López coach profile at Soccerway
- 1967 births
- Living people
- People from Horta Sud
- 20th-century Spanish sportsmen
- Spanish men's footballers
- Footballers from the Province of Valencia
- Men's association football forwards
- Segunda División players
- Segunda División B players
- Tercera División players
- Valencia CF Mestalla footballers
- Hércules CF players
- CF Extremadura footballers
- Levante UD footballers
- CD Castellón footballers
- Real Murcia CF players
- Benidorm CF footballers
- Spanish football managers
- La Liga managers
- Segunda División managers
- Segunda División B managers
- Tercera División managers
- CD Alcoyano managers
- FC Cartagena managers
- Valencia CF Mestalla managers
- Villarreal CF B managers
- Atlético Levante UD managers
- Levante UD managers
- Granada CF managers
- Cádiz CF managers