Paco Peña (footballer)

Francisco 'Paco' Peña Romero (born 25 July 1978) is a Spanish footballer who plays for CF Intercity as a left back.

For the Spanish guitarist, see Paco Peña.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Peña and the second or maternal family name is Romero.
Paco Peña
Peña (foreground) controlling the ball for Hércules in 2010
Personal information
Full name Francisco Peña Romero
Date of birth (1978-07-25) 25 July 1978
Place of birth Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Left back
Club information
Current team
 Intercity
Youth career
1992–1997 Jerez
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–1999 Jerez 18 (0)
1999–2002 Levante 73 (0)
2002–2006 Albacete 120 (1)
2006–2009 Murcia 108 (0)
2009–2018 Hércules 307 (5)
2018– Intercity 52 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 October 2020

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. 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 Segunda División B. During the 1999 January transfer window, he signed with fellow league club Levante UD, contributing with 15 appearances to an eventual promotion.

After a further three seasons with the team in that level, Peña joined Albacete Balompié also in division two. He played 24 matches in 2002–03, and the latter 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.[1] He was sent off in the next fixture at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte (1–2 defeat to FC Barcelona)[2] 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 from the second tier. During his three-year tenure, he only 14 missed games combined, and also competed in the top division in 2007–08.[3]

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 team captain.[4] 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.[5]

References
  1. "Regreso amargo del Albacete" [Bitter return for Albacete]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 31 August 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. "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.
  4. 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.
  5. "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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