Paco Fortes

Paco Fortes
Personal information
Full name Francisco Fortes Calvo
Date of birth (1955-01-04) 4 January 1955
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Forward
Youth career
Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1974–1975 Barcelona B 26 (1)
1975–1979 Barcelona 44 (5)
1976–1977 → Málaga (loan) 17 (1)
1979–1982 Español 66 (1)
1982–1984 Valladolid 48 (7)
1984–1989 Farense 87 (12)
Total 288 (27)
National team
1975 Spain 1 (0)
1976 Spain amateur 1 (0)
Teams managed
1989–1999 Farense
1999–2001 Imortal
2001 União Lamas
2002 Farense
2003–2005 Pinhalnovense
2006–2007 Raja Casablanca
2007–2008 Pinhalnovense

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Fortes and the second or maternal family name is Calvo.

Francisco 'Paco' Fortes Calvo (born 4 January 1955) is a Spanish retired football forward and manager.

Even though he also played for Barcelona, his career was mainly associated with Farense in Portugal, either as a player or manager.

Playing career

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Fortes emerged through local FC Barcelona's youth ranks, going on to spend four years with the first team and also being loaned one season to CD Málaga. He only featured regularly for the main squad in the 1975–76 campaign – 23 games, three goals – adding 11 UEFA Cup matches with three goals in two separate seasons; he made his La Liga debut on 5 October 1975 at the age of 20, in a 3–0 home win against Granada CF.[1]

Released by the Blaugrana in 1979, Fortes signed for neighbours RCD Español, staying with the club for three seasons. Subsequently he joined Real Valladolid still in the top level, going on to amass overall league totals of 175 games and 14 goals; on 16 November 1975 he gained his only cap for Spain, playing 15 minutes in 2–2 draw in Romania for the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers.[2]

In the 1984 summer 29-year-old Fortes signed with S.C. Farense in Portugal, being relegated from the top division in his first year but gaining immediate promotion back. He appeared in more than 100 official matches for the Algarve side, during his five-year stint.

Coaching career

In late 1988, aged 33, Fortes retired from football and immediately started coaching Farense. He was in charge of eight games in that season, winning four and drawing two, but the team eventually could not escape relegation after ranking 18th; promotion befell in the following campaign, as champions.

Fortes remained at the helm of the club for one full decade, managing four consecutive top-eight finishes from 1991 to 1995, including a best-ever fourth in the 1994–95 campaign as Farense qualified to the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history. He was sacked after the 21st round in 1998–99, moving to neighbouring Imortal DC in the second level.

Early into 2001–02, after only six games with C.F. União de Lamas (also division two), Fortes returned to his beloved Farense, with the club in the midst of a severe financial crisis. He was one of four coaches in the season – this included his former player Hajry Redouane – as the team was eventually relegated. After leaving midway through the following campaign, he spent two full seasons and part of a third with C.D. Pinhalnovense in the third division.

After reuniting with Redouane at Raja CA Casablanca,[3] Fortes returned to Pinhalnovense for one final year, then lost all connection with the football world. Undergoing serious financial problems, he contacted former club Barcelona's Agrupació Barça Veterans, who arranged for him to work as a controller in the Port of Barcelona.[4]

Honours

Player

Barcelona
Valladolid
Farense

Manager

Farense

References

External links

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