Francisco Puñal

Francisco Puñal

Puñal training with Osasuna in 2010
Personal information
Full name Francisco Puñal Martínez
Date of birth (1975-09-06) 6 September 1975
Place of birth Pamplona, Spain
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 12 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
Osasuna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1998 Osasuna B 32 (4)
1994–1995Oberena (loan)
1995–1996Egüés (loan)
1997–2014 Osasuna 458 (23)
1999–2001Leganés (loan) 62 (11)
Total 552 (38)

* 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 Puñal and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Francisco 'Patxi' Puñal Martínez (born 6 September 1975) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

The vast bulk of his professional career was connected with Osasuna, where he was charged with penalty-taking in his beginnings and for which he appeared in 513 competitive games.[1][2]

Football career

Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Puñal played his entire professional career with CA Osasuna save for two on-loan seasons with Madrid's CD Leganés, in Segunda División.[3] His first official game for the main squad came on 15 June 1997 in a 1–1 away draw against SD Eibar, in the same category.[4]

After his loan spell Puñal returned as an automatic first-choice, scoring his first La Liga goal on 27 October 2001 at already 26, in a 4–0 home win over RCD Mallorca.[5] In Osasuna's 2005–06 historical league campaign, which brought a best ever fourth-place finish, he netted four in 34 matches.

On 29 November 2006, as the club went on to reach the last-four in the UEFA Cup, Puñal scored three times (one in his net) in a 3–1 home win against Odense Boldklub in the group stage.[6] He appeared in 47 official contests that season.

From 2007 to 2010 veteran Puñal continued to figure prominently for Osasuna, featuring in exactly 100 league games – scoring twice through penalties, in a 2–0 win at Getafe CF[7] and a 1–2 home loss against Real Madrid,[8] both goals coming during 2007–08 – and also being the club's undisputed captain after the retirement of César Cruchaga. During that timeframe, he was booked a total of 37 times in the league.

Puñal finished 2012 on a high note, being a father for the first time and having appeared in a total of 470 official matches for his main club, a best-ever. He obtained the record after his 464th overall appearance on 21 October, against Real Betis,[9] and on 26 May 2013 he again entered the team's history books, netting from 30 meters and contributing to a 2–1 home win against Sevilla FC which certified permanence in the top division for another year, with one game remaining.[10]

References

External links

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