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Fran (footballer, born 1995)

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Fran
Personal information
Full name Francisco José Rodríguez Gaitán
Date of birth (1995-05-22) 22 May 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Almuñécar, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right back
Youth career
2002–2007 Almuñécar 77
2007–2008 Motril
2008–2014 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Real Madrid C 24 (4)
2014–2016 Real Madrid B 29 (3)
2016–2017 Zaragoza 20 (0)
2017–2019 Almería 21 (0)
2019–2020 Rayo Majadahonda 3 (0)
2020–2022 Calahorra 20 (1)
2022 UD Logroñés 13 (1)
2023 Unionistas 15 (0)
2023–2024 Ceuta 25 (1)
International career
2011 Spain U17 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 April 2024

Francisco José Rodríguez Gaitán (born 22 May 1995), commonly known as Fran, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a right back.[1]

Club career

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Born in Almuñécar, Granada, Andalusia, Fran joined Real Madrid's youth setup in 2008, aged 13, after spells at AD Almuñécar 77 and Motril CF. He was promoted to the former's C-team in 2014, but made his senior debut with the reserves in a 1–2 away loss against Atlético Madrid B on 24 August.[2]

Fran scored his first senior goal on 12 October 2014, netting the game's only in an away success of the C-side over Internacional de Madrid CF. He was definitely promoted to the B-team ahead of the 2015–16 campaign, and established himself as a regular starter for the side.[3]

On 11 July 2016 Fran signed a three-year contract with Segunda División side Real Zaragoza, as a free agent.[4] He made his professional debut on 27 August, coming on as a second-half substitute for goalscorer Manuel Lanzarote in a 3–3 away draw against CD Lugo.[5]

On 12 July 2017, Fran moved to fellow second division team UD Almería on a two-year deal.[6] In the following March, he suffered a knee injury which took him out of the entire 2018–19 campaign.[7]

Fran subsequently resumed his career in the third division, representing CF Rayo Majadahonda and CD Calahorra.[8]

Personal life

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Fran's older brother Andy is also a footballer. A midfielder, he too was groomed at Real Madrid.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Fran Rodríguez at Soccerway
  2. ^ "2–1: Castilla let the three points slip against Atlético B" (in Spanish). Real Madrid. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Real stars of tomorrow". Marca. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  4. ^ "El lateral Fran se incorpora a la plantilla del Real Zaragoza" [Full back Fran joins the squad of Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Lugo y Zaragoza firman tablas en un partido loco" [Lugo and Zaragoza draw in a crazy match] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  6. ^ "El Almería refuerza el lateral derecho con el fichaje de Fran Rodríguez" [Almería bolster the right back with the signing of Fran Rodríguez] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  7. ^ ""Estoy volviendo a sentirme de nuevo futbolista"" ["I am starting to feel myself a footballer again"] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Fran Rodríguez, segundo fichaje del CD Calahorra para la temporada 2020/2021" [Fran Rodríguez, second signing of CD Calahorra for the 2020/2021 season] (in Spanish). CD Calahorra. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Mou se lleva a Granada a Nacho, Pacheco y Andy" [Mou takes Nacho, Pacheco and Andy to Granada] (in Spanish). Marca. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
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