Iván Franco
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Iván René Franco Díaz | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Ybycuí, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Libertad | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Libertad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018– | Libertad | 83 | (19) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Paraguay U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019– | Paraguay | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:59, 9 June 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2019 | |||
Iván René Franco Díaz (born 16 April 2000) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Libertad as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
Born in Ybycuí, Franco joined Libertad's youth setup after being spotted at Football Dreams.[1] Promoted to the main squad for the 2018 season, he made his professional – and Primera División – debut for Libertad on 2 February of that year, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Sportivo Luqueño.[2]
Franco scored his first professional goal on 4 March 2018, netting his team's second in a 4–1 away routing of 3 de Febrero.[3] Nine days later, he made his Copa Libertadores debut by starting in a 2–0 away defeat of Atlético Tucumán.[4] He contributed with five appearances in the latter tournament, as his side were knocked out by eventual runners up Boca Juniors in the round of 16.[5]
International career
On 21 December 2018, Franco was called up by Paraguay under-20s for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship.[6]
On 10 September 2019, Franco made his senior international debut with the Paraguay national team in a 4–2 friendly win away to Jordan.
Style of play
Franco has been praised for the ability and quickness of thought to play as a playmaker in the ‘number 10’ role.[7] He was dubbed as Paraguay's new star by South American football expert Tim Vickery on the BBC’s World Football Phone-In show.[8]
Career statistics
- As of 1 September 2020.[9]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Libertad | 2018 | Primera División | 34 | 7 | — | 5[a] | 0 | — | 39 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 37 | 11 | — | 3[a] | 0 | — | 39 | 7 | ||||
| 2020 | 12 | 1 | — | 2[a] | 1 | — | 39 | 7 | ||||
| Career total | 83 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 20 | ||
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores.
References
- ^ "Iván Franco cumplió su sueño y ya pinta para crack" [Iván Franco fulfilled his dream and already poses as star] (in Spanish). Monumental 1080 AM. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Mucho premio para Libertad e injusto empate para Luque" [Too much prize for Libertad and unfair draw for Luque] (in Spanish). Ñandutí. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Libertad golea en el Este y sigue de cerca al líder del Apertura" [Libertad thrash in Este and follow closely the leader of the Apertura] (in Spanish). La Nación. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Copa Libertadores: Libertad derrotó 2–0 a Atlético Tucumán por el grupo de Peñarol" [Copa Libertadores: Libertad defeated Atlético Tucumán by 2–0 in Peñarol's group] (in Spanish). Fútbol.uy. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Boca no tuvo piedad ante Libertad y goleó 4 a 2" [Boca had no mercy against Libertad and thrashed by 4–2] (in Spanish). Canal Showsport. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "La Albirroja Sub 20 tiene su lista para el Sudamericano de Chile" [The Albirroja under-20 have their list for the South American of Chile] (in Spanish). Tigo Sports. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Iván Franco, el joven "10" que gana cancha en Libertad" [Iván Franco, the young "10" who wins the field at Libertad] (in Spanish). D10. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "5 live's World Football Phone-in - Downloads - BBC Radio 5 live". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ Iván Franco at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
External links
- Iván Franco at ESPN FC
- Iván Franco at Soccerway