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Francisco Pavón
Francisco Pavon.jpg
Pavón in 2014
Personal information
Full name Francisco Pavón Barahona
Date of birth (1980-01-09) 9 January 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) 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)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco Pavón Barahona (born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish former footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field.

Pavón became famous because of Real Madrid's "Los Galácticos" policy. The club's president, Florentino Pérez, wanted a team with both superstar players and talented young players from their own academy. He called this "Zidanes and Pavones," referring to expensive stars like Zinedine Zidane and youth players like Pavón.

Francisco Pavón spent most of his professional career at Real Madrid. He also played for Zaragoza. Over nine seasons, he played 125 matches in La Liga, Spain's top football league.

Playing for Top Clubs

Starting at Real Madrid

Francisco Pavón
Pavón playing for Zaragoza in 2009

Francisco Pavón was born in Madrid, Spain. He grew up playing football in Real Madrid's youth teams. He started with the junior team called Tendillo. Then he moved up to play for the reserve team, Real Madrid B.

He made his first appearance in La Liga on 6 October 2001. This was 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, he played in 27 league games. He also helped Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League that year. This is one of the biggest club competitions in Europe.

Pavón played in 51 league matches over the next two years. He scored a rare goal on 8 May 2004. This was in a home game against RCD Mallorca, which Real Madrid lost 2–3. After this, his playing time became much less. He did not play in any league games during the 2006–07 season.

Moving to Zaragoza

In July 2007, Pavón left Real Madrid. He signed a four-year contract with Real Zaragoza. However, he only played in eight league games during the 2007–08 season. Zaragoza was then moved down to a lower league.

In the 2008–09 season, 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 help allowed Zaragoza to be promoted back to La Liga right away.

During the 2009–10 season, Pavón was often the third or fourth choice for centre-back. Still, he managed to score two goals. Zaragoza stayed in the top division that season.

Later Career and Retirement

On the last day of the 2010 summer transfer period, Pavón joined AC Arles-Avignon. This is a French football club. He played 26 games for them during the 2010–11 season.

After leaving Arles-Avignon, Pavón was without a club for almost two years. He decided to retire from football at the age of 33. He famously refused to claim unemployment benefits. He said that "others need it more," showing his kind spirit.

Achievements and Awards

Real Madrid

  • La Liga: 2002–03, 2006–07 (This is the top Spanish league title)
  • Supercopa de España: 2001, 2003 (This is a Spanish super cup competition)
  • UEFA Champions League: 2001–02 (This is the biggest club competition in Europe)
  • Intercontinental Cup: 2002 (A competition between European and South American champions)
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2002 (A competition between the Champions League and Europa League winners)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Francisco Pavón para niños

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