Francisco Alberto Copado Álvarez (born 19 July 1974) is a German retired
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
of Spanish origin who played as a
striker or
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
Football career
The son of
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...
, Copado began his football career in his hometown of
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
, initially at Eintracht Kiel and later with
Holstein Kiel
Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., simply as KSV Holstein or Kieler SV Holstein, commonly known as Holstein Kiel (), is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s thro ...
, where he came through the youth ranks. For the
1992–93 season he received a professional contract from
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
, whose
scouts
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...
had been keeping a close eye on the young offensive player.
From 1993 to 1995 Copado played in three
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
matches, the first on 20 November 1993 as a late
substitute in a 0–3 away loss against
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern () or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to football, the club also operates in sev ...
. In
1995–96 he amassed a further ten appearances under
Felix Magath
Wolfgang Felix Magath (; born 26 July 1953) is a German football manager and former player.
The most notable spell of his playing career was with Hamburger SV, with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, the 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup Final a ...
, before leaving the club in the winter
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
.
Copado subsequently moved to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, joining
Segunda División team
RCD Mallorca in January 1996. In
his first full season he contributed two goals in 30 games (his first in a 1–0 win at
Real Madrid Castilla), helping win promotion to
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
.
However, Copado would never play in Spain's top level, as he left in July 1997 and joined lower league side
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin.
History
The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ta ...
– there, he played under
Hermann Gerland
Hermann "Tiger" Gerland (born 4 June 1954) is a German professional football manager and former player who has most recently worked as an assistant coach of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.
Playing career
Born in Bochum, Gerland spent his entire ...
, the
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
mostly associated with the player's explosion. He ended the season with 12 goals as ''TeBe'' was unbeaten and became
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
champions; in the
2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
, he would only score six goals in the following two seasons combined.
For the
2000–01 campaign top division club
SpVgg Unterhaching
Spielvereinigung Unterhaching () is a German sports club in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich. The club is widely known for playing in the first-division association football league ...
bought Copado, at the express petition of club manager
Lorenz-Günther Köstner
Lorenz-Günther Köstner (born 30 January 1952) is a retired German footballer who is now a football manager who last managed Fortuna Düsseldorf. Following the sacking of Armin Veh on 25 January 2010, he was named interim manager of VfL Wolfsbur ...
. However, after a few games, the player failed to produce on the pitch (including training), while also gaining a reputation for excessive partying. Therefore, he was suspended for ten months due to disciplinary reasons – during this time, he was forced to train on his own, and only when Köstner was fired on 13 September 2001 (with the club previously having been relegated) did the situation clear;
Rainer Adrion took over the ruins and the player was forgiven, but Unterhaching dropped another level.
Under
Wolfgang Frank
Wolfgang Frank (21 February 1951 – 7 September 2013) was a German football manager and player.
Frank was born in Reichenbach an der Fils, and made a total of 215 appearances in the Bundesliga during his playing career, scoring 89 goals. Fo ...
, who made him
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
, Copado netted an incredible 58 league goals in three seasons (being instrumental in the side's return to the second level in 2003), operating as both
forward and
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. Due to those solid performances, the 31-year-old returned to the top flight for the third time in his career, joining
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
on a three-year contract.
Copado eventually broke into the first team after early difficulties, scoring six goals during
the season – in December 2005 he was even awarded the ''Player of the Month'' award. However, he only managed one goal in his 14 last appearances, losing the confidence of manager
Friedhelm Funkel
Friedhelm Funkel (born 10 December 1953) is a German football manager and former player, who last managed 1. FC Köln.
Coaching career Early career
Funkel was manager of Duisburg between 13 May 1996 and 24 March 2000. He finished with a record o ...
and subsequently being sold in the following transfer window (although he still appeared in the first match of 2006–07).
Copado joined
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on 30 August 2006, being a crucial offensive element in the club's rise from the third (
Regionalliga Süd) to the first level in just two seasons (14 goals in his first year, ten in the second). He appeared sparingly during
the campaign's first half, managing to score a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
A p ...
in Hoffenheim's 3–0 home win over
Arminia Bielefeld on 29 November 2008. On 16 December he was released from contract, returning to former side Unterhaching and retiring on 31 March 2009, having played his last game the previous day.
From 2012 onwards Copado continued working with Unterhaching, as
director of football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
and youth and assistant manager.
Personal life
Copado is the brother-in-law of
Hasan Salihamidžić
Hasan Salihamidžić (; born 1 January 1977), nicknamed Brazzo ( bs, Braco, , "Little Bro"), is a Bosnian former professional footballer and current sporting director of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. After starting his club career with German s ...
, to whom his sister is married.
During his playing days at Mallorca, he was often referred to as ''Paco''.
Copado married Eva Schrobenhauser, daughter of former side Unterhaching's owner Anton Schrobenhauser,
on 31 May 2008. They have two sons together, including
Lucas Copado, a footballer for
Bayern Munich. Copado later separated with Eva.
References
External links
*
*
Fupa profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copado, Francisco
1974 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Kiel
German people of Spanish descent
German footballers
Spanish footballers
Association football midfielders
Association football forwards
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
3. Liga players
Segunda División players
Holstein Kiel players
Hamburger SV players
Hamburger SV II players
Tennis Borussia Berlin players
SpVgg Unterhaching players
Eintracht Frankfurt players
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players
RCD Mallorca players
Footballers from Schleswig-Holstein