| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francesc Xavier Arnau Grabulosa | ||
| Date of birth | 23 May 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Les Planes, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1999 | Barcelona B | 123 | (0) |
| 1996–2001 | Barcelona | 24 | (0) |
| 2001–2011 | Málaga | 131 | (0) |
| Total | 278 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–1998 | Spain U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 1997 | Spain U23 | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Francesc Xavier Arnau Grabulosa (born 23 May 1975 in Les Planes, Girona, Catalonia) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
In a 16-year professional career, he only played for FC Barcelona and Málaga CF, appearing in 126 La Liga games over the course of 12 seasons.
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Arnau, a youth graduate from La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona, made his first-team debuts in 1996–97, in a 3–3 home draw against Atlético de Madrid, on November 9, 1996. During five seasons, he played second-fiddle to Ruud Hesp and Pepe Reina, while also registered with the B side.
In 2001–02, Arnau moved to Málaga CF for € 2.1 million, also being second-choice until the departure of Pedro Contreras to Real Betis, in 2003. He would eventually become club captain, but lost his job in 2007–08 in the second division, to Iñaki Goitia.
In the 2009 summer, Goitia was sold to Real Betis, but Málaga also acquired Gustavo Munúa and Roberto Santamaría, so Arnau was demoted to as low as third-choice for 2009–10, eventually finishing backup to the Uruguayan, even though he did not make one single official appearance.
After Munúa's departure, Arnau played the first game of the 2010–11 season, a 1–3 home loss against Valencia CF, as Rodrigo Galatto was not yet eligible. He continued appearing regularly for the club in the following weeks, after the Brazilian performed poorly and another new signing, Rubén, went down with an injury.
On 21 May 2011, Arnau played his last game as a professional, replacing Wilfredo Caballero in the last minutes of a 1–3 home defeat against his first club Barcelona,[1] with Málaga finally retaining its top division status. After retiring at the age of 36, he continued working with his last team, as a youth coach, alongside former club teammate Salva.[2]
Arnau appeared for Spain at the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, being named the tournament's MVP, as Spain emerged victorious.
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