Francisco Pavón facts for kids
Pavón in 2014
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Pavón Barahona | ||
| Date of birth | 9 January 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Real Madrid | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | Real Madrid C | ||
| 2000–2001 | Real Madrid B | 38 | (1) |
| 2001–2007 | Real Madrid | 106 | (1) |
| 2007–2010 | Zaragoza | 43 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | Arles-Avignon | 26 | (0) |
| Total | 213 | (7) | |
|
|||
Francisco Pavón Barahona (born on January 9, 1980) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football.
He is well-known for being part of the "Los Galácticos" era at Real Madrid. During this time, the club's president, Florentino Pérez, wanted to build a team with both expensive superstar players like Zinedine Zidane and talented young players from their own youth academy, like Pavón. This idea was called "Zidanes and Pavones."
Over nine seasons, Pavón played 125 matches and scored three goals in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He played for his main club, Real Madrid, and also for Zaragoza.
Contents
Pavón's Early Football Career
Francisco Pavón was born in Madrid, Spain. He started playing football at a young age and moved up through the different teams at Real Madrid. He began with the junior team called Tendillo. Eventually, he joined the reserve team.
He made his first appearance in La Liga on October 6, 2001. This was in a match against Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Real Madrid won that game 2–0. Soon after, he signed a seven-year contract to play professionally.
During the 2001–02 season, Pavón played in 27 more league games. He also helped his team win the UEFA Champions League that year. This is one of the biggest club competitions in European football.
Playing for Real Madrid and Zaragoza
In the next two years, Pavón played in 51 league matches. He scored a rare goal on May 8, 2004, in a home game against RCD Mallorca. However, his playing time started to decrease after that. He didn't play in any league games during the 2006–07 season.
In 2007, there was talk that Pavón might join Premier League club Bolton Wanderers in England. This would have meant playing with his former teammate Iván Campo. But this move did not happen.
Instead, in July 2007, Pavón signed a four-year contract with Real Zaragoza. He had left Real Madrid. However, he only played in eight league games during the 2007–08 season. Zaragoza was then moved down to a lower division.
Promotions and Retirement
In the 2008–09 season, which was in the Segunda División (Spain's second division), Pavón scored his first goal for Zaragoza. This was in a 2–1 home win against Real Murcia. He played much more often that season. His contributions helped Zaragoza get promoted back to La Liga right away.
During the 2009–10 season, Pavón was not always a first-choice player. He was often the third or fourth option for a centre-back. Still, he managed to score two goals. Zaragoza stayed in the top division that season.
On the last day of the 2010 summer transfer window, Pavón joined AC Arles-Avignon in France. There, he reunited with another former Real Madrid teammate, Álvaro Mejía.
In November 2011, Pavón had a trial with West Ham United in England. They played in the Football League Championship at the time. However, he did not join the team. The manager, Sam Allardyce, was not convinced he was fit enough.
After almost two years without playing for a club, Pavón decided to retire from football. He was 33 years old. He famously refused to claim unemployment benefits, saying that "others need it more."
Football Achievements and Awards
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2002–03, 2006–07 (Won the Spanish league title)
- Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003 (Won the Spanish Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League: 2001–02 (Won the top European club competition)
- Intercontinental Cup: 2002 (Won a competition between European and South American champions)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2002 (Won a competition between Champions League and Europa League winners)
See also
In Spanish: Francisco Pavón para niños
