Xisco (footballer, born 1986)

Francisco Jiménez Tejada (born 26 June 1986), known as Xisco, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Uruguayan club Peñarol as a striker.

Not to be confused with Xisco Nadal.
This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Jiménez and the second or maternal family name is Tejada.

Xisco
Xisco with Osasuna in 2018
Personal information
Full name Francisco Jiménez Tejada[1]
Date of birth (1986-06-26) 26 June 1986[1]
Place of birth Palma, Spain[1]
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Peñarol
Number 9
Youth career
Atlético Baleares
2003–2004 Deportivo La Coruña
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2006 Deportivo B 53 (39)
2005–2008 Deportivo La Coruña 44 (12)
2006–2007 → Vecindario (loan) 27 (13)
2008–2013 Newcastle United 9 (1)
2009–2010 → Racing Santander (loan) 23 (3)
2011–2012 → Deportivo La Coruña (loan) 25 (5)
2013–2016 Córdoba 95 (30)
2015 → Mallorca (loan) 16 (9)
2016–2017 Muangthong United 13 (9)
2017–2019 Osasuna 61 (13)
2019– Peñarol 16 (6)
National team
2007–2009 Spain U21 11 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 March 2020

After making a name for himself with Deportivo, he signed in 2008 with Newcastle United, but he could only amass 11 official appearances for the club during his spell (one goal), also being loaned several times during his contract. He left the latter in January 2013 and returned to his country, going on to spend four seasons with Córdoba and winning promotion to La Liga in 2013–14.

Xisco participated with Spain at the 2009 European Under-21 Championship.

Club career

Deportivo

A product of Deportivo de La Coruña's youth ranks, Xisco was born in Palma, Majorca, Balearic Islands, and he made his La Liga debut on 16 April 2005 against Real Sociedad.[2] His first (and second) goal arrived also that season, in a 2–2 away draw to Real Zaragoza on 15 May.[3]

In 2007–08, after a season-long loan at Segunda División's UD Vecindario, Xisco emerged as a top flight striker, scoring five goals in two matches: a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win over Real Murcia on 30 March 2008,[4] adding two at Racing de Santander (same result) the following week.[5]

Newcastle United

On 1 September 2008, Xisco signed for Newcastle United for a reported initial fee of £5.7 million, although the fee could have eventually risen to £7 million subject to conditions.[6] He made his debut for the club in the 1–2 home defeat against Hull City on 13 September, scoring in the game;[7] however, he featured rarely during the season, being only seventh choice behind Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka, Peter Løvenkrands, Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll.[8]

After only four months, Newcastle United attempted to sell Xisco, only to be blocked by FIFA who did not allow for a player to be registered for three clubs in one season.[9] In February 2009 he stated he had not made a mistake by moving, insisting he would eventually succeed.[10]

After Newcastle were relegated, Xisco stated that he wasn't sure whether to stay at the club,[11] and eventually was signed on loan by Racing Santander on 31 August 2009, in a season-long move. Two weeks later he made his debut for the Cantabrians during a 1–1 draw at Atlético Madrid, having come on as a substitute for Alexandre Geijo for the final twenty minutes – he was replaced by Toni Moral before the final whistle due to injury, however.[12] he netted his first goal for Racing on 3 January 2010, the second in a 2–0 win over CD Tenerife.[13] On 27 January, in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, he contributed to their 3–0 away defeat of CA Osasuna (5–1 on aggregate).[14]

Manager Chris Hughton said that Xisco remained in his first-team plans upon the player's return to the Magpies in July 2010,[15] with the latter stating he refused to give up on his future at the club.[16] He came off the bench on 22 August in an impressive 6–0 home win against Aston Villa, setting up Carroll for his hat-trick in the 90th minute.[17] After receiving a red card for an off-the-ball incident in a reserves game, he was suspended for three matches,[18] and failed to appear for the team in the following months finding himself behind Ameobi, Carroll, Løvenkrands and Nile Ranger.[8]

On 30 January 2011, Xisco returned to former club Deportivo on loan until the end of the season, being intermittently used and also suffering team relegation – he had been previously linked with a move to Real Zaragoza and a move back to Santander during the winter transfer window.[19] On 11 August, he returned to the Estadio Riazor again on loan.[20][21]

Xisco featured sparingly during 2011–12, due to injuries.[22] On 27 May 2012, however, he scored arguably the most important goal of the campaign, helping Deportivo come from behind to win 2–1 at home against SD Huesca and seal promotion as champions with one round still remaining.[23]

In summer 2012, Xisco revealed he could leave Newcastle, but opted to stay eventually.[24] On 8 October 2012, he featured for the reserves for the first time since 2011, in a 2–1 win against Aston Villa's reserves,[25] scoring a hat-trick against Stoke City two weeks later for the same competition;[26] A month later he was included in the first-team squad, ahead of a UEFA Europa League match against Club Brugge KV.[27]

Xisco's contract was terminated with immediate effect on 31 January 2013.[28] After leaving Newcastle, he was named by the Newcastle Evening Chronicle as one of the club's worst strikers.[29]

Córdoba

After his release, Xisco returned to his country by joining Córdoba CF of the second level[30]– upon arriving, he spoke of his hopes to revive his career whilst helping his team.[31] He made his debut for his new club on 9 March 2013, coming on as a substitute and scoring a goal in a 3–4 defeat at FC Barcelona B.[32]

Xisco appeared regularly for the Andalusians during the 2013–14 campaign, scoring ten goals as they returned to the Spanish top flight after a 42-year absence.[33] On 23 January 2015, after featuring sparingly, he was loaned to RCD Mallorca until June.[34]

Later years

On 21 July 2017, after a one-season spell at Thailand's Muangthong United FC, Xisco signed a two-year contract with Osasuna.[35] He scored five times in 2018–19, as the latter side returned to the top tier as champions.[36]

On 16 September 2019, the 33-year-old Xisco agreed to a deal at Peñarol until the end of the Clausura Tournament in Uruguay.[37] The following 15 January, he agreed to another year in Montevideo.[38]

International career

Xisco made his Spain under-21 debut in a friendly against England on 6 February 2007, in which he had a shot hit the foot of the post.[39] He scored his first goal in the category against Georgia during the 2009 UEFA European Championship qualifiers,[40] adding to his tally by netting against Russia with a subtle finish, also during that stage of the competition.[41]

Xisco added another goal on 15 October 2008, in a 3–1 extra time win against Switzerland, helping Spain qualify for the finals[42] where he did not score.

Honours

Deportivo

Muangthong United

Osasuna

gollark: I mean, on the one hand, you might be slightly less happy due to wearing a helmet, but on the other hand you're less likely to die horribly.
gollark: Safety things mean you're likely to be less hurt by mistakes, thus ENHANCING learning.
gollark: It would be like something which electrocutes you whenever you make a compile error. You don't want to make compile errors in the first place, and making them worse is not very helpful.
gollark: If you have some accident and get injured horribly, you probably won't *learn* much, just... get horribly injured, you don't want the accident anyway.
gollark: And if there was a convenient not-too-bad way to reduce injuries with knives, they would probably be used. I imagine chefs have something.

References
  1. "Francisco Jiménez Tejada, "XISCO"". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. Soto, Víctor (17 April 2005). "La Real desborda al Deportivo" [Real all over Deportivo]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  3. García-Planas, Yaca (16 May 2005). "Zaragoza y Deportivo dicen adiós a Europa" [Zaragoza and Deportivo say goodbye to Europe]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  4. "Deportivo La Coruña 3–1 Murcia". ESPN Soccernet. 30 March 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  5. "Racing Santander 1–3 Deportivo La Coruña". ESPN Soccernet. 6 April 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  6. "Magpies agree Xisco deal". Sky Sports. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  7. "Newcastle 1–2 Hull". BBC Sport. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  8. "The relevance of Xisco: four strange years at Newcastle". In Bed With Maradona. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  9. Ryder, Lee (6 January 2009). "NUFC's bid to sell Xisco may be hit by FIFA rules". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  10. "Coloccini and Xisco have no Newcastle regrets". Goal. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  11. "Xisco unsure of Toon future". Sky Sports. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  12. "Atletico remain winless". ESPN Soccernet. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  13. "Second-half blitz secures Racing points". ESPN Soccernet. 3 January 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  14. Beldarrain, Andoni (28 January 2010). "Osasuna-Racing, (0–3): Adiós a la Copa del Rey" [Osasuna-Racing, (0–3): Farewell to the King's Cup] (in Spanish). EITB. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  15. Ryder, Lee (13 July 2010). "Xisco back in contention for Newcastle United". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  16. Ryder, Lee (27 July 2010). "Xisco pledges to fight for his future at NUFC". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  17. "Carroll treble in Magpies romp". ESPN Soccernet. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  18. "Newcastle United forward Xisco hit with three match ban". Goal. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  19. "Zaragoza and Racing interested in Newcastle outcast Xisco". Goal. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  20. "Xisco departs for Depor". Newcastle United F.C. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  21. "Xisco loaned out yet again". Setanta Sports. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  22. "Xisco:"El objetivo es ascender, espero que no defraudemos"" [Xisco:"The goal is to promote, I hope we don't let people down"]. Marca (in Spanish). 29 December 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  23. García, Gregorio (27 May 2012). "Xisco firma el retorno del Dépor a Primera división un año después" [Xisco seals Dépor return to Primera one year after]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  24. Ryder, Lee (23 October 2012). "Xisco lifts lid on his Newcastle United nightmare". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  25. Starforth, Miles (8 October 2012). "Forgotten striker Xisco comes in from the cold at Newcastle". Shields Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  26. "Are you still here?! Newcastle flop Xisco hits hat-trick for reserves... and sets sights on unlikely return". Daily Mail. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  27. "Xisco has been named in the Newcastle squad to face Club Bruges". Sky Sports. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  28. "Xisco leaves United". Newcastle United F.C. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  29. Ryder, Lee (8 June 2012). "Newcastle United's Worst XI: Worst strikers". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  30. "Xisco leaves Newcastle United to join Cordoba". BBC Sport. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  31. "Xisco: "Espero hacer goles que ayuden al equipo a ascender"" [Xisco: "I hope to score goals to help the team to climb"]. Marca (in Spanish). 4 February 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  32. "El Córdoba despierta tarde" [Córdoba wake up late]. Marca (in Spanish). 9 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  33. Gómez Postigo, Javier (11 October 2018). "Córdoba CF | El reencuentro con el excapitán Xisco Jiménez" [Córdoba CF | Reuniting with former captain Xisco Jiménez]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  34. "Xisco, cedido al RCD Mallorca" [Xisco, loaned to RCD Mallorca] (in Spanish). Córdoba CF. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  35. "Xisco, nuevo jugador del Club Atlético Osasuna" [Xisco, new player of Club Atlético Osasuna] (in Spanish). CA Osasuna. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  36. Sanzol, Pablo (18 June 2019). "Los goles del Osasuna campeón" [The goals of champions Osasuna]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  37. Anfitti, Federico (16 September 2019). "Xisco ficha por Peñarol" [Xisco signs for Peñarol]. Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  38. "El español Xisco Jiménez renueva con Peñarol hasta final de temporada" [Spaniard Xisco Jiménez renews with Peñarol until the end of the season]. Marca (in Spanish). 15 January 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  39. "England 2–2 Spain". Soccer Spain. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
  40. "Spain double up on Georgia". UEFA. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 22 November 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
  41. "Slick Spain shatter Russia hopes". UEFA. 7 September 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
  42. "Crónica del España-Suiza, 3–1" [Spain-Switzerland match report, 3–1] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  43. "Arrasate: "Le dábamos mucha importancia a ser campeones"" [Arrasate: “We were quite focused on being champions”] (in Spanish). Onda Cero. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
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