Francisco José Rodríguez Gaitán (born 22 May 1995), commonly known as Fran, is a Spanish
footballer who plays as a
right back.
Club career
Born in
Almuñécar,
Granada,
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
, Fran joined
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
'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.
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.
On 11 July 2016 Fran signed a three-year contract with
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
side
Real Zaragoza, as a
free agent. 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.
On 12 July 2017, Fran moved to fellow second division team
UD Almería on a two-year deal. In the following March, he suffered a
knee injury which took him out of the entire
2018–19 campaign.
Fran subsequently resumed his career in the third division, representing
CF Rayo Majadahonda and
CD Calahorra.
Personal life
Fran's older brother
Andy is also a footballer. A
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, he was part of Real Madrid's youth setup.
References
External links
Real Madrid profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fran
1995 births
Living people
Footballers from Almuñécar
Spanish men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
Primera Federación players
Tercera División players
Real Madrid C footballers
Real Madrid Castilla footballers
Real Zaragoza players
UD Almería players
CF Rayo Majadahonda players
CD Calahorra players
Spain men's youth international footballers
21st-century Spanish sportsmen