Leo Franco facts for kids
Franco in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 May 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1997 | Independiente | 2 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Mérida | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Mallorca B | 23 | (0) |
| 1999–2004 | Mallorca | 148 | (0) |
| 2004–2009 | Atlético Madrid | 153 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Galatasaray | 26 | (0) |
| 2010–2014 | Zaragoza | 67 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | San Lorenzo | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Huesca | 28 | (0) |
| Total | 450 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Argentina | 4 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2018 | Huesca | ||
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Leonardo "Leo" Franco, born on May 20, 1977, is a famous Argentine former football player. He was a goalkeeper, which means he protected the goal. After he stopped playing, he also became a football manager.
Leo Franco spent most of his playing career in Spain. He played 328 matches in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He played for teams like Mallorca, Atlético Madrid, and Zaragoza.
He also played for the Argentine national team for two years. He even played for Argentina in the 2006 World Cup.
Contents
Playing Career in Clubs
Leo Franco was born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Argentina. He started his football journey at Club Atlético Independiente in 1995. When he was 20, he moved to Spain to play for CP Mérida.
He didn't play much for Mérida, and his team was moved down to a lower league. The next year, he joined RCD Mallorca. He spent his first season with their reserve team, which also went down a league.
Becoming a Star at Mallorca
Even though his reserve team went down, Leo Franco was promoted to Mallorca's main team. He quickly became the team's starting goalkeeper. He took over from another Argentine player, Carlos Roa.
In the 2000–01 season, he played in 27 matches. Mallorca finished in third place, which was their best finish ever! Two years later, he helped Mallorca win the Copa del Rey, a big Spanish cup competition.
Time with Atlético Madrid
In June 2004, Leo Franco joined Atlético Madrid. He was the first-choice goalkeeper right away. He was known for saving penalty kicks. For example, he saved two penalties against Sevilla FC in 2006.
He also saved two more against Real Betis in the same year. In the 2007–08 season, he faced competition from another goalkeeper, Christian Abbiati. But Leo Franco won his starting spot back in the 2008–09 season.
Moving to Turkey and Back to Spain
On July 1, 2009, when he was 32, Leo Franco left Atlético Madrid. He signed with Galatasaray S.K. in Turkey. He played his first game in the Turkish league on August 9, 2009.
After just one year, Leo Franco returned to Spain. He joined Real Zaragoza with a two-year contract. His first game for Zaragoza was a 0–0 draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.
Later Career and Retirement
Leo Franco left Zaragoza in 2014 and moved back to Argentina to play for San Lorenzo de Almagro. In July 2015, he returned to Spain. He joined SD Huesca, a team that had just been promoted to the second Spanish league.
On August 19, 2016, Leo Franco announced he was retiring from playing football. He was 39 years old. Right after retiring, he became a director at his last club, SD Huesca.
International Career
Leo Franco had a successful international career playing for Argentina.
Youth Team Success
With the Argentina under-20 team, Leo Franco won a major tournament. They won the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia. This was a big achievement for the young team.
Playing in the World Cup
In 2004, Leo Franco made his debut for the senior national team. Two years later, he was chosen to be part of the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The coach, José Pekerman, had also been his coach for the under-20 team.
During the World Cup, on June 30, 2006, Leo Franco had to play in a very important game. He came on as a substitute in the quarter-final match against host country Germany. This was because the starting goalkeeper got injured. The game went to a penalty shootout, but Argentina lost.
Managerial Role
After retiring as a player, Leo Franco became a manager. On May 29, 2018, he became the first-team manager for SD Huesca. This was a special time for Huesca, as it was their first-ever season in Spain's top league. However, he was dismissed on October 9, 2018, due to poor results.
Honours
Leo Franco won several important titles during his career:
Mallorca
- Copa del Rey: 2002–03 (a major Spanish cup)
Argentina
- FIFA World Youth Championship: 1997 (with the U20 team)
See also
In Spanish: Leo Franco para niños
