Place of birth Valencia, Spain Role Footballer Playing position Height 1.83 m Name Juan Garcia | Number 12 Weight 78 kg Years Team Career start 1994 | |
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Full name Juan Francisco Garcia Garcia Date of birth (1976-07-15) 15 July 1976 (age 39) Current team Levante UD (#12 / Defender) | ||
Juan Francisco García García (born 15 July 1976), known as Juanfran, is a retired Spanish footballer. Mainly a left back, he could also play as a central defender.
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He started and finished his extensive professional career with Levante, which he represented in all three major levels of Spanish football, going on to amass La Liga totals of 362 games and six goals over the course of 14 seasons and also appearing in the competition for Valencia, Celta and Zaragoza. He also played in Turkey, the Netherlands and Greece.
Juanfran represented Spain at the 2002 World Cup.
Club career
Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Juanfran started his professional career at Levante UD, where he attracted the attention of local giants Valencia CF, signing after three seasons for €1 million. On 31 August 1997 he played his first La Liga game, a 1–2 away loss against RCD Mallorca, and went on make 50 overall appearances for the Che.
Juanfran joined Celta de Vigo prior to the 1999–2000 campaign for €4 million, where he was an undisputed starter in a Galicia team that appeared in the UEFA Cup and the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League (he scored in a 1–1 tie at Club Brugge K.V. as Celta progressed to the knockout rounds of the latter competition). However, in 2003–04, the club would also be relegated to Segunda División.
After leaving Celta in 2004, Juanfran joined Turkish club Beşiktaş JK, but soon fell out of favour with team management – the coach who brought him to Istanbul, compatriot Vicente del Bosque, was dismissed midway through the season – and would spend the following campaign on loan to Dutch side AFC Ajax.
In 2006–07, Juanfran returned to Spain and joined Real Zaragoza for €1.5 million and being a key defensive element as the Aragonese team qualified to the UEFA Cup in that first year. The following season, the player struggled individually and collectively, and the club returned to the second level after a five-year stint.
On 30 July 2008, Juanfran agreed to sign a two-year deal with AEK Athens FC, earning approximately €1 million per season. He was used regularly during his spell in Greece but, in late January 2010, was loaned to his first professional side Levante, until the end of the second division campaign; only weeks later he bought out his contract with AEK, and signed permanently until June 2012, contributing massively to the club's top flight return after a two-year absence.
The 34-year-old Juanfran was the most used player in his position in 2010–11 (23 games), as Levante eventually retained its division status. He fared even better in the following season, with the club finishing sixth and qualifying for the Europa League for the first time ever.
On 20 September 2012, in Levante's European competition group stage debut, Juanfran scored the game's only goal at home against Helsingborgs IF, netting with his preferred foot from the corner of the penalty area. On 4 May 2016, after a further four top flight campaigns – suffering relegation in the last – the 39-year-old announced his retirement.
International career
Juanfran earned 11 caps for Spain, making his debut in a friendly against Italy on 29 March 2000, after impressive displays at Celta. Subsequently, he was included in the nation's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, and appeared in three matches out of five.
Juanfran's last game was an UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier against Northern Ireland in 2003, playing the whole 90 minutes of a 0–0 away draw.