Paco Peña (footballer)

Paco Peña
	Peña (foreground) controlling the ball for Hércules in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Francisco Peña Romero
Date of birth	25 July 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Left-back
Youth career
1992–1997	Jerez
Senior career*
Years	Team
1997–1999	Jerez
1999–2002	Levante
2002–2006	Albacete
2006–2009	Murcia
2009–2018	Hércules
2018–2021	Intercity
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco "Paco" Peña Romero (born 25 July 1978) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a left-back.

He spent most of his professional career with Hércules, playing 316 competitive matches while representing the club in all three major levels of Spanish football.^[1] He totalled 128 appearances in La Liga over four seasons, where he also played for Albacete and Murcia.

Club career

Born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Extremadura, Peña started his career with local Jerez CF, for whom he appeared in the Segunda División B. During the 1999 January transfer window, he signed with Levante UD in the same league, contributing 15 appearances to an eventual promotion.

After a further three seasons with the club, Peña joined Albacete Balompié also in division two. He played 24 matches in 2002–03, and the latter side returned to La Liga after an absence of seven years.

Peña made his debut in the Spanish top flight on 30 August 2003, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–2 home loss against CA Osasuna.^[2] He was sent off in the next fixture at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte (1–2 defeat to FC Barcelona)^[3] and, at the end of the following campaign, again with him as an undisputed starter, his team was relegated.

In summer 2006, Peña moved to Real Murcia CF from the second tier. During his three-year tenure he only missed a total of 14 games, and also competed in the top division in 2007–08.^[4]

Aged 31, Peña signed with Hércules CF in 2009 off-season. He went on to remain connected with the Alicante-based club for more than one decade, representing it in all three major levels of Spanish football and acting as captain.^[5] He scored his first competitive goal for them – and second as a professional – on 24 March 2013, in a 2–0 away win over CD Guadalajara.^[6]

References

^ Esteve, David (28 May 2018). "El Hércules hace oficial la despedida de Paco Peña" [Hércules make departure of Paco Peña official]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2021.
^ "Regreso amargo del Albacete" [Bitter return for Albacete]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 31 August 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
^ Ramírez Orsikowsky, Jorge (14 September 2003). "El Barcelona pega más duro que el Albacete" [Barcelona hit harder than Albacete]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2016.
^ "El Real Murcia regresa con mucha fuerza a Primera el año de su centenario" [Real Murcia returns to Primera very strong in its century year]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 22 August 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
^ Esteve, David (16 November 2016). "Peña jugará su partido 600: "Queda Paco Peña para rato"" [Peña will play his 600th game: "Paco Peña is here to stay"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2016.
^ "El Hércules se aferra a la ilusión de la permanencia" [Hércules cling on to survival illusion]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 March 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

External links

Paco Peña at BDFutbol
Paco Peña at Futbolme (in Spanish)
Paco Peña at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
Paco Peña at Soccerway

[1] Esteve, David (28 May 2018). "El Hércules hace oficial la despedida de Paco Peña" [Hércules make departure of Paco Peña official]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2021.

[2] "Regreso amargo del Albacete" [Bitter return for Albacete]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 31 August 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

[3] Ramírez Orsikowsky, Jorge (14 September 2003). "El Barcelona pega más duro que el Albacete" [Barcelona hit harder than Albacete]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2016.

[4] "El Real Murcia regresa con mucha fuerza a Primera el año de su centenario" [Real Murcia returns to Primera very strong in its century year]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 22 August 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2018.

[5] Esteve, David (16 November 2016). "Peña jugará su partido 600: "Queda Paco Peña para rato"" [Peña will play his 600th game: "Paco Peña is here to stay"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2016.

[6] "El Hércules se aferra a la ilusión de la permanencia" [Hércules cling on to survival illusion]. Marca (in Spanish). 24 March 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

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