Guillermo Franco facts for kids
Franco playing for West Ham United in 2010
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Guillermo Luis Franco Farquarson | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1976 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Corrientes, Argentina | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1995–2002 | San Lorenzo | 96 | (23) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Monterrey | 119 | (63) | ||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Villarreal | 81 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | West Ham United | 23 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Vélez Sársfield | 18 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Pachuca | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Chicago Fire | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 352 | (110) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 | Mexico | 25 | (7) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Monterrey Reserves and Academy | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Guillermo "Guille" Luis Franco Farquarson, born on November 3, 1976, is a former professional football player. He was a talented striker, which means he played in a forward position to score goals. Even though he was born and grew up in Argentina, he played for the Mexico national team.
Contents
Early Life
Guillermo Franco was born in Corrientes, a city in Argentina.
Club Career
San Lorenzo
Franco started his football journey with an Argentine team called San Lorenzo. He played for them from 1996 to 2002. During this time, he mostly played as a right winger, helping his team attack from the sides of the field.
Monterrey
In 2002, Franco moved to Mexico and joined Monterrey. He quickly became a star player for the team, known as the Rayados. In 2004, he was the top scorer in the league, scoring 15 goals in just 16 games while playing as a striker. He helped Monterrey win the Mexican Primera División championship in 2003. They also finished as runner-up twice in 2004 and 2005.
Villarreal
After his success in Mexico, Franco spent three years playing in Spain for Villarreal. Unfortunately, he faced many injuries during his time there. In his first season, Franco helped Villarreal reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, which is a very big European competition. They eventually lost to Arsenal. He also scored an important goal that helped Villarreal qualify for another European tournament, the UEFA Cup.
West Ham United
In September 2009, Franco signed a one-year contract with West Ham United in England. This made him the first Mexican player to ever play for the "Hammers." He made his first appearance for West Ham on October 17, 2009.
He scored his first goal for the team on October 31, 2009, in a game against Sunderland. This goal made him the third Mexican player to score in the Premier League, one of the world's most famous football leagues. In April 2010, Franco helped his team avoid being relegated to a lower league by assisting a winning goal against Wigan Athletic. West Ham announced that Franco would leave the club in May.
Vélez Sársfield
After leaving West Ham, Franco returned to Argentina and joined Vélez Sársfield in January 2011. He signed a one-year deal. He made his debut in a game against Independiente.
Soon after, he suffered a shoulder injury during a game in the 2011 Copa Libertadores, another major South American competition. Despite his injury, he returned to play in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals, scoring a goal from a penalty kick. He also played in the last five games of the 2011 Clausura season, helping his team win the Argentine league title.
Pachuca
On January 21, 2012, Franco moved back to Mexico to play for Pachuca in the Mexican Primera División.
Chicago Fire
Later in 2012, Franco signed with Chicago Fire, a team in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He played three games for them. On January 29, 2013, Guillermo Franco announced that he was retiring from professional football.
International Career
In 2004, Guillermo Franco became a Mexican citizen after living in Mexico since 2002. He then made his debut for the Mexican national team in 2005.
Franco played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which is the biggest football tournament in the world. He was also part of the Mexican team that won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. During the qualification games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he scored two goals. He played in all four matches for Mexico at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In September 2010, Franco announced his retirement from playing for the national team.
Honours
San Lorenzo
- Argentine Primera División Clausura: 2001
- Copa Mercosur: 2001
Monterrey
Vélez Sársfield
Chicago Fire
- MLS Brimstone Cup: 2012
Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009
Individual Awards
- Mexican Primera División Golden Ball: Clausura 2003
- Mexican Primera División Golden Boot: Apertura 2004
See also
In Spanish: Guillermo Franco (futbolista) para niños
