Yeste taking a corner for Athletic Bilbao |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Javier Yeste Navarro | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Basauri, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Olympiacos | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1997 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–1998 | Baskonia | 38 | (7) |
| 1998–2000 | Bilbao Athletic | 34 | (2) |
| 1999–2010 | Athletic Bilbao | 288 | (49) |
| 2010–2011 | Al Wasl | 21 | (9) |
| 2011– | Olympiacos | 2 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1998 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1999 | Spain U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Spain U21 | 12 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:14, 22 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Francisco "Fran" Javier Yeste Navarro (born 6 December 1979) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Olympiacos F.C. in Greece.
Usually an attacking midfielder (although he can also play on the left wing), he played 11 years of his professional career with Athletic Bilbao (19 counting the youth system), appearing in 353 official games and scoring 59 goals.
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Born in Basauri, Biscay, and a product of Athletic de Bilbao's youth ranks at Lezama, Yeste made his first team debut on 7 February 1999, playing 90 minutes in a 0–2 loss at Racing de Santander. He would appear in a further 13 matches during that and the following seasons, while mainly registered with the reserves.
From 2000–01 onwards, Yeste was used regularly in Athletic's first team, netting six La Liga goals during that season, including two in a 4–0 home win against Real Oviedo, on 10 December 2000. After regular displays in 2003–04, he won a callup for Spain, although he did not make his debut.[1] He scored a career-best 11 league goals, with the Basque finishing fifth, good enough for a UEFA Cup berth.
At times troubled with injuries, Yeste continued to appear prominently, playing in all the league contests of 2006–07, as Athletic barely avoided relegation (17th). He also added five goals in the process. A player of volatile temperament,[2] he was also sent off five times from 2007–09 (adding 14 yellow cards),[3][4] including once after pushing Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, in a 2–5 home loss.[5]
In the 2009–10 season, Yeste featured irregularly, also being ousted by manager Joaquín Caparrós for more than one month.[6] In the first match upon his return, a 0–2 loss at Atlético Madrid on 25 March 2010, he was booked. On 21 May, after his contract expired, he announced his departure from Athletic Bilbao, through his agent.[7]
On 19 June 2010, Yeste, aged almost 31, signed a two-year contract with Al Wasl FC.[8] In March of the following year, during the 2010–11 Etisalat Emirates Cup semifinal against Al Ain Club, the opponents took the lead before the 50th minute (49:27) and, as they were still celebrating, he shot from the centre circle to score a goal that was described by Dutch news site "Voetbal Stijl" as "The fastest equalizer in the history of football" (49:54).[9]
There was controversy surrounding the legality of the goal, as Yeste shot the ball directly without having the ball passed from the centre circle, whilst another player was inside it, but it was later confirmed as valid, as the ball hit the ground just before crossing the goal line, and the other player inside the circle was from Al Ain.[10]
In July 2011, at almost 32, Yeste signed a contract with Greek champions Olympiacos FC, reuniting with former Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde.
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