Paco Fortes

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

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Fortes and the second or maternal family name is Calvo.

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(s) 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 116 (29)
Total 317 (44)
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

Even though he also played for Barcelona, his career was mainly associated with Farense in Portugal, either as a player or manager.[1]

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 former in 1975–76 – 23 matches, three goals – adding 11 UEFA Cup appearances with three goals in two separate campaigns; he made his La Liga debut on 5 October 1975 at the age of 20, in a 3–0 home win against Granada CF.[2]

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 earned his only cap for Spain, playing 15 minutes in 2–2 draw in Romania for the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers.[3]

In the summer of 1984, 29-year-old Fortes signed with S.C. Farense in Portugal, being relegated from the Primeira Liga in his first year but winning immediate promotion back. He appeared in more than 100 official matches for the Algarve club 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 1994–95 as Farense qualified to the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history.[4] He was sacked after the 21st round in 1998–99, moving to neighbouring Imortal D.C. of 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 during the season – this included his former player Hajry Redouane – as the team were eventually relegated.[5] After leaving midway through the following campaign, he spent two full seasons and part of a third with C.D. Pinhalnovense in the third tier.[6]

After reuniting with Redouane at Raja Casablanca,[7] 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.[8]

Honours

Player

Barcelona

Valladolid

Farense

  • Segunda Liga: 1985–86

Manager

Farense

gollark: */\/\/\/\/\/\/\*
gollark: PotatOS is the future.
gollark: Not *all*.
gollark: So much starring lately.
gollark: Rtussutr.

References
  1. Freitas Lobo, Luís (31 January 2019). "Cromos, episódio 13: a raça e o "bigodão" de Paco Fortes, a alma de um Farense histórico" [Football cards, episode 13: the heart and the "thick moustache" of Paco Fortes, the soul of an historic Farense]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. "3–0: Pudieron ser seis" [3–0: It could have been six]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 October 1975. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  3. Rovira, Ramón (17 November 1975). "2–2: A España le bastó el empate, aunque mereció ganar" [2–2: Spain had enough with draw, but deserved to win]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  4. "Farense vai vender Estádio S. Luís para recuperar passado glorioso" [Farense to sell Estádio S. Luís to recover glorious past]. Público (in Portuguese). 4 May 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. Anjinho, Jorge (17 April 2003). "Farense em risco de sobrevivência" [Farense at risk of folding]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  6. "Este fim de semana foi negativo para as equipas açorianas na segunda divisão" [Negative weekend for Azorean teams in the second division] (in Portuguese). RTP Açores. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  7. "El español Paco Fortes es el nuevo entrenador del Raja de Casablanca" [Spaniard Paco Fortes is new Raja Casablanca coach] (in Spanish). Terra. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  8. Salinas, David (1 July 2009). "Fortes, de dormir en una furgoneta a trabajar en el puerto" [Fortes, from sleeping in a van to working in the port]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  9. "25 años de la Copa de la Liga" [25 years from the League Cup]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
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