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) | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
|
|||
Francisco Liaño Fernández (born on November 16, 1964) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He was a fantastic goalkeeper who played for many years.
Even though he played for four different clubs during his 15-year career, he is best known for his time with Deportivo. He was a big part of their success in the early 1990s, when they became known as Super Depor. He also won the special Zamora Trophy award twice!
Contents
Francisco Liaño's Football Journey
Starting His Career at Racing
Francisco Liaño was born in Santander, a city in Cantabria. He began his football journey with his hometown team, Racing de Santander. He played his very first professional game in La Liga (Spain's top football league) on September 9, 1984.
He spent six seasons with Racing. For most of that time, he was a backup goalkeeper. In his last season with Racing (1989–90), the team was in the second division. He only played one league game that year, and the team was relegated to an even lower league. After that, he moved to Sestao Sport Club, a team in the third division. There, he won his first Ricardo Zamora Trophy! This award goes to the goalkeeper who lets in the fewest goals. He only conceded 28 goals in 38 games, which is amazing!
Becoming a Star at Deportivo
In the summer of 1991, Liaño joined Deportivo de La Coruña. At first, he was a backup goalkeeper. But the main goalkeeper got injured before the season started, so Liaño played the first ten matches. Later that season, both goalkeepers got injured, and a third-choice player had to step in.
However, before the 1992–93 season, the main goalkeeper got injured again. This gave Liaño another chance to be the starting goalkeeper. He played so well that he kept his spot! He won two Zamora Trophies in a row. Deportivo also had a great run, finishing third in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time ever!
In the 1993–94 season, Liaño set an amazing record. He only let in 18 goals in 38 games! This was the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga's history at the time. He won his second Zamora Trophy that year. Deportivo finished second in the league, just behind FC Barcelona. In this same season, he also set a record for the most "clean sheets" (games where the opponent doesn't score) in one La Liga season, with 26!
Liaño was injured for three months during the 1994–95 season. But he still helped Deportivo win the Copa del Rey (Spain's main cup competition). This was the first trophy the club had ever won! For the 1995–96 season, a new manager decided to use a different goalkeeper. But after that goalkeeper let in many goals, Liaño was put back in as the starter.
Later Years in Football
In 1996, when he was 31, Liaño moved to Sporting de Gijón. He played there for two seasons before he retired from football. However, he only played in two league games for Sporting Gijón. This was because another famous goalkeeper was already playing for the team.
See also
In Spanish: Paco Liaño para niños
