José Francisco Molina facts for kids
Molina with Levante in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Francisco Molina Jiménez | ||
| Date of birth | 8 August 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Valencia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
Mohun Bagan SG (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Benimar | |||
| Valencia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1993 | Valencia B | 37 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | → Alzira (loan) | 29 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Valencia | 0 | (0) |
| 1994 | → Villarreal (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Albacete | 23 | (0) |
| 1995–2000 | Atlético Madrid | 189 | (0) |
| 2000–2006 | Deportivo La Coruña | 169 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Levante | 34 | (0) |
| Total | 499 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2000 | Spain | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Villarreal C | ||
| 2011 | Villarreal B | ||
| 2011–2012 | Villarreal | ||
| 2013–2014 | Getafe B | ||
| 2014–2015 | Kitchee | ||
| 2016 | ATK | ||
| 2017–2018 | Atlético San Luis | ||
| 2024– | Mohun Bagan SG | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Francisco Molina Jiménez (born on August 8, 1970) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. Today, he is the manager of the Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
Molina spent eleven years of his long career playing for Atlético Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruña. During this time, he helped his teams win five important titles. He played in 415 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league, over 14 seasons.
He also played for the Spanish national team for four years. Molina represented Spain in the 1998 World Cup and two European Championships.
Contents
Playing Career
Playing for Clubs
José Molina was born in Valencia, Spain. He began his professional football journey with a smaller club called UD Alzira. In 1991, he joined the big local club, Valencia CF. After a short loan period with Villarreal CF, he moved to Albacete Balompié.
Molina made his first appearance in La Liga on January 8, 1995. His team won that game 1–0 against Real Oviedo. Even though his team lost a game badly later that season, they still managed to avoid moving down to a lower league.
Molina's career is closely linked with Atlético Madrid, a club he supported. He joined them in 1995. In his first year, he helped the team win a "double." This means they won both the league title and the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) in the same season. He played almost every league match for four seasons.
In 2000, Molina moved to Deportivo de La Coruña, who were the league champions that year. He helped them win a Spanish Cup and two Supercups. He was the main goalkeeper for Deportivo during his time there. In October 2002, he announced he had to take a break for medical treatment. He missed most of the 2002–03 season but fully recovered and returned to play.
After his contract ended, Molina went back to his hometown of Valencia in 2006. He played for Levante UD, a team that was struggling in the top division. He retired from playing after the season ended, and Levante managed to stay in the top league.
Playing for Spain
Molina made his debut for the Spanish national team in a very unusual way. On April 24, 1996, he played as an outfield player against Norway. This happened because all the allowed substitutions had been made, and another player got injured. So, Molina, a goalkeeper, played for a short time as a left winger.
He was chosen for the squads that went to UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, he became the main goalkeeper for Euro 2000. After making a mistake in the first game, which Spain lost 1–0 to Norway, he did not play in the rest of the tournament.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Roles
Molina started his coaching career in the 2009–10 season with Villarreal CF C, a lower-division team. In May 2011, he became the coach of Villarreal CF B, the reserve team, in the Segunda División. He took over when the team was in danger of moving down a league.
On December 22, 2011, Molina became the coach of Villarreal's main team. He was in charge until March 18, 2012, when he left the role.
Success in Asia
In 2014, after coaching Getafe CF B, Molina moved to Hong Kong to coach Kitchee SC. In his only season there, he led the team to win a domestic "treble." This means they won three major titles in one season. He also guided the team to the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup, an important Asian club competition.
On May 3, 2016, Molina was announced as the head coach of Indian Super League team ATK. He led them to win the Indian Super League title in 2016. Later, in November 2017, he coached Atlético San Luis in Mexico. He left that role in February 2018.
Leading the Spanish Federation
In July 2018, Molina was chosen as the sporting director for the Royal Spanish Football Federation. In this role, he helped manage and guide the national football teams. He left this position in December 2022.
Return to Club Coaching
Molina returned to club coaching on June 11, 2024, when he signed as manager of the Indian top-tier club Mohun Bagan Super Giant. In his first season with the club, he led them to win both the national championship and the League Shield.
Achievements
As a Player
Atlético Madrid
- La Liga: 1995–96
- Copa del Rey: 1995–96
Deportivo
- Copa del Rey: 2001–02
- Supercopa de España: 2000, 2002
Individual
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy: 1995–96 (Award for the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-to-games ratio in La Liga)
As a Coach
Kitchee
- Hong Kong Premier League: 2014–15
- Hong Kong FA Cup: 2014–15
- Hong Kong League Cup: 2014–15
Atlético Kolkata
- Indian Super League: 2016
Mohun Bagan
- Indian Super League: 2024–25
- Indian Super League Winners Shield: 2024–25
See also
In Spanish: José Francisco Molina para niños
- List of Atlético Madrid players (Players who have played 100 or more games for Atlético Madrid)
- List of La Liga players (Players with 400 or more appearances in La Liga)
