Francisco Yeste facts for kids
Yeste taking a corner for Athletic Bilbao in 2005
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Francisco Javier Yeste Navarro | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1979 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Basauri, Spain | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1997 | Athletic Bilbao | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Basconia | 38 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Bilbao Athletic | 34 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2010 | Athletic Bilbao | 302 | (50) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Al Wasl | 21 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Olympiacos | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Baniyas | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 407 | (68) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | Spain U20 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Spain U21 | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Basque Country | 5 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Eldense | |||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Eldense | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Francisco "Fran" Yeste Navarro was a Spanish professional footballer. He was born on December 6, 1979. Fran played as an attacking midfielder or a left winger. He spent most of his career, 12 years, with Athletic Bilbao. This includes his time in their youth teams. He played in 353 official matches for them. He also scored 59 goals. After leaving Spain, he played football in the United Arab Emirates and Greece. Later, he worked for a short time as a football manager.
Contents
Fran Yeste's Football Journey
Playing for Athletic Bilbao
Fran Yeste was born in Basauri, which is in Biscay, Spain. He started his football journey at Athletic Bilbao's youth academy. This academy is called Lezama. Fran made his first team debut on February 7, 1999. He played the whole game in a match against Racing de Santander. Athletic Bilbao lost that game 2–0.
Over the next two seasons, he played 13 more games. During this time, he was mostly playing for the reserve team, Athletic Bilbao B. From the 2000–01 season onwards, Yeste became a regular player for the main team. He scored six goals in La Liga that year. This included two goals in a 4–0 home win against Real Oviedo. That match was played on December 10, 2000.
In the 2003–04 season, Fran played very well. He scored a career-high eleven goals. His team, Athletic Bilbao, finished fifth in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. He was even called up to the Spanish national team. However, he did not get to play in a match for them.
Fran Yeste continued to be an important player for Athletic Bilbao. Sometimes, he had problems with injuries. In the 2006–07 season, he played in all the league matches. Athletic Bilbao just managed to avoid being relegated. They finished 17th in the league. Fran scored five goals that season. He was known for his strong personality on the field. Sometimes, he received yellow cards or was sent off.
In the 2009–10 season, Fran did not play as often. His manager, Joaquín Caparrós, even left him out of the team for over a month. When he returned, he played in a match against Atlético Madrid. Athletic Bilbao lost that game 2–0. Fran received a yellow card in that match. On May 21, 2010, his contract with Athletic Bilbao ended. He announced that he would be leaving the club.
Playing in the United Arab Emirates
On June 19, 2010, Fran Yeste signed a two-year contract with Al Wasl. This team is from the United Arab Emirates. In March 2011, during a semi-final match, something amazing happened. Al Wasl was playing against Al Ain. Al Ain scored a goal just before the 50th minute. While they were still celebrating, Fran Yeste shot the ball from the center circle. He scored a goal very quickly after Al Ain's goal. Some news sites called it "The fastest equaliser in the history of football."
There was some discussion about whether the goal was allowed. Fran shot the ball directly without it being passed first. Also, another player was inside the center circle. But it was later confirmed that the goal was valid. This was because the ball touched the ground just before it crossed the goal line. Also, the other player in the circle was from the opposing team, Al Ain.
Later Career and Coaching
In July 2011, Fran Yeste signed with Olympiacos. They were the champions of the Greek league. At Olympiacos, he reunited with his former Athletic Bilbao coach, Ernesto Valverde. On January 17, 2012, his contract with Olympiacos ended by agreement. He had faced some issues for having a medical procedure without telling the club. The very next day, he went back to the United Arab Emirates. He joined Baniyas for six months.
After he stopped playing football, Fran Yeste briefly became a manager. He was in charge of a lower-league team called CD Eldense. During his first time as manager there, he faced some challenges. He was suspended for a few months because he did not have all the necessary coaching qualifications. He also worked as a youth manager at Arenas de Getxo.
International Football for Spain
Fran Yeste played five matches for the Spanish Under-20 team. This was during the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He started in the match where Spain won 3–1 against Honduras. Spain went on to win the championship that year.
Football Achievements
Basconia
- Tercera División: 1997–98
Athletic Bilbao
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2008–09
- Supercopa de España runner-up: 2009
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2011–12
Spain U20
See also
In Spanish: Fran Yeste para niños
