Francisco Liaño facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Liaño Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 16 November 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Santander, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1990 | Racing Santander | 23 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Sestao | 38 | (0) |
| 1991–1996 | Deportivo La Coruña | 154 | (0) |
| 1996–1998 | Sporting Gijón | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 217 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco Liaño Fernández (born on November 16, 1964) is a Spanish retired footballer. He was a talented goalkeeper.
Francisco Liaño played for four different clubs during his 15-year career. He is best known for his time with Deportivo. He was a key player when Deportivo became known as Super Depor in the early 1990s. He also won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy twice. This award goes to the goalkeeper who has the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga.
Contents
Francisco Liaño's Football Journey
Starting at Racing Santander
Francisco Liaño was born in Santander, Cantabria. He began his football journey at his hometown club, Racing de Santander. He made his first team debut in La Liga on September 9, 1984.
Liaño played for Racing Santander for six seasons. He was often a backup goalkeeper during this time. In his last season with Racing, 1989–90, the team was in the second division. He played only one league game that season.
After leaving Racing, he moved to Sestao Sport Club. This team was in the third level of Spanish football. Here, he won his first Ricardo Zamora Trophy. He let in only 28 goals in 38 games. This was a great achievement for him.
Becoming a Star at Deportivo
In the summer of 1991, Liaño joined Deportivo de La Coruña. At first, he was a backup goalkeeper. However, the main goalkeeper, Juan Canales, got injured. This gave Liaño a chance to play the first ten matches of the season.
Canales got injured again before the 1992–93 season. This meant Liaño became the starting goalkeeper. He played so well that he kept his spot. He won two Zamora Trophies in a row. Deportivo also had great success during this time. They finished third in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time.
In the 1993–94 season, Liaño set a record in the first division. He let in only 18 goals in 38 games. This was the lowest goals-to-games ratio in the league's history at that time. He also achieved 26 clean sheets in one season. This means he kept the opposing team from scoring in 26 games. Deportivo finished second that year, just behind FC Barcelona.
Liaño faced an injury in the 1994–95 season. He missed three months of play. But he returned to help Deportivo win the Copa del Rey. This was the first major trophy in the club's history. For the 1995–96 season, a new manager, John Toshack, arrived. Liaño eventually regained his starting position and helped Deportivo finish ninth.
Later Years in Football
In 1996, Liaño was 31 years old. He moved to Sporting de Gijón on a free transfer. He played for two seasons with this club. However, he made only two league appearances. He retired from professional football after his time at Sporting Gijón.
See also
In Spanish: Paco Liaño para niños
