Paco Fortes

Paco Fortes
Personal information
Full name Francisco Fortes Calvo
Date of birth 4 January 1955 (1955-01-04) (age 57)
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 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).

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

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

Contents

Playing career

Fortes emerged through local FC Barcelona's youth ranks, going on to spend four years with the first team, also being loaned one season to CD Málaga. He only featured regularly for the Catalans in his first year, 1975–76 - 23 games, three goals - adding 11 UEFA Cup games in two separate seasons (three goals); 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.

In the 1984 summer, 29-year old Fortes signed with S.C. Farense in Portugal, being relegated from the top division in his first season, but gaining immediate promotion back. He appeared in more than 100 official games for the Algarve outfit 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 1991–95, including a best-ever fourth in 1994–95, as Farense qualified to the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history. He was sacked after the 21st round in the 1998–99 campaign, moving to neighbouring Imortal Desportos Clube in the second level.

In 2001–02, after only six games with 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 (third division).

After reuniting with Redouane at Raja CA Casablanca,[2] 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.[3]

Honours

Player

Barcelona
Valladolid
Farense

Manager

Farense

References

External links