Fran Villalba

Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo (born 11 May 1998) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Segunda División club Almería, on loan from Birmingham City of the English Championship. He began his career with Valencia and spent a season on loan to Numancia before coming to England in 2019. In international football, he has represented Spain from under-16 to under-19 level.

For the Paraguayan film composer and pianist, see Fran Villalba (composer).
This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Villalba and the second or maternal family name is Rodrigo.
Fran Villalba
Villalba with Birmingham City in 2019
Personal information
Full name Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo[1]
Date of birth (1998-05-11) 11 May 1998[2]
Place of birth Valencia, Spain
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Almería
(on loan from Birmingham City)
Number 10
Youth career
2011–2016 Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Valencia B 79 (8)
2015–2019 Valencia 1 (0)
2018–2019 → Numancia (loan) 39 (4)
2019– Birmingham City 17 (1)
2020– → Almería (loan) 16 (2)
National team
2014 Spain U16 2 (1)
2014–2015 Spain U17 17 (3)
2016 Spain U18 2 (0)
2016 Spain U19 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:05, 20 July 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Valencia

Born in the neighbourhood of El Cabanyal, Valencia,[3] Villalba was a Valencia CF youth graduate. On 1 August 2014, after being linked to Liverpool,[4] he signed a new four-year deal with Los Che.[5]

On 1 February 2015, aged only 16, Villalba made his senior debut with Valencia's reserve team, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–2 away loss against CD Olímpic de Xàtiva in the Segunda División B championship.[6] He appeared in two further matches during the campaign, both from the bench.

On 26 June 2015 Villalba was called up to the main squad by manager Nuno Espírito Santo for the pre-season.[7] He made his professional debut on 16 December, as a half-time substitute for André Gomes in a 2–0 Copa del Rey home win against Barakaldo.[8] Villalba made his La Liga debut on 31 December 2015, coming on in the 84th minute of a 1–0 away loss against Villarreal.[9]

On 12 July 2018 he joined Segunda División club Numancia on a season-long loan.[10] Villalba scored his first professional goal on 16 September 2018, the equaliser in a 1–1 draw away to Sporting de Gijón, and later in the match was sent off for the first time ever.[11]

Birmingham City

On 7 August 2019, Villalba signed a three-year contract with Birmingham City of the English Championship.[12] He made his debut three days later in the starting eleven for a 1–1 draw with Bristol City, came close to scoring from distance, and was the Birmingham Mail's man of the match.[13] Although he did not readily adapt to the quicker, more physical style of the English game,[14][15] he was part of the starting eleven for the first four months of the season, apart from a spell out with a groin injury.[16][17] He scored his first goal in a young Birmingham team that beat Middlesbrough 2–1 on 6 October – another shot was "somehow kept out ... at point blank range"[18] – but according to the Mail, "what earned him his 76th-minute standing ovation was the tireless pressing and harrying that characterised his second period."[19] However, with considerable competition in attacking midfield from Dan Crowley and new arrival Jérémie Bela as well as the emergence of the 16-year-old Jude Bellingham, Villalba dropped down the pecking order and out of the matchday squad.[20][15] The last of his 17 appearances came in a 3–0 defeat away to Hull City on 21 December.[21]

Villalba joined Almería on 27 January 2020 on loan to the end of the 2019–20 Segunda División season; the deal included an option to purchase.[22] He scored once from five first-team appearances before football in Spain was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic,[16][23] and once from four matches after the resumption,[16] before his loan spell was extended to cover the remainder of the season.[24]

Career statistics
As of match played 20 July 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Valencia Mestalla 2014–15[25] Segunda División B30——30
2015–16[2] Segunda División B210——210
2016–17[26] Segunda División B222—1[lower-alpha 2]0232
2017–18[27] Segunda División B346——346
Total 808——818
Valencia 2015–16[2] La Liga10300040
Numancia (loan) 2018–19[28] Segunda División39410—404
Birmingham City 2019–20[21] Championship17100—171
Almería (loan) 2019–20[16] Segunda División162——162
Career total 15215401015715
  1. Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
  2. Appearance in Segunda División B play-offs

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Birmingham City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 4. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. "Fran Villalba: Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo: Matches 2015–16". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  3. Alberola, Andreu (13 July 2015). "Fran Villalba es la joya de Nuno" [Fran Villalba is Nuno's pearl]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  4. "Spanish 'jewel' midfielder rejects Liverpool contract offers". Soccerlens. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. Alberola, Andreu (1 August 2014). "Fran Villalba rechaza al Liverpool para firmar con el Valencia" [Fran Villalba rejects Liverpool to sign with Valencia]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  6. "El Mestalla cae ante el Olímpic de Xàtiva" [Mestalla falls against Olímpic de Xàtiva]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). 1 February 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  7. Torres, David (26 June 2015). "Fran Villalba hará la pretemporada con el primer equipo" [Fran Villalba will do pre-season with the first team]. El Desmarque (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  8. "Un brindis por la vuelta de Negredo" [Cheers for Negredo's return]. Marca (in Spanish). 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  9. "Fran Villalba debuta en la Liga" [Fran Villalba debuts in the league]. Super Deporte (in Spanish). 31 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  10. "Comunicado oficial: Fran Villalba" [Official statement: Fran Villalba] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  11. Tello, Félix (18 September 2018). "Su primera expulsión" [His first sending-off]. Heraldo-Diario de Soria (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. "Fran Villalba: Birmingham City sign midfielder from Valencia on a three-year deal". BBC Sport. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  13. Ireland, Shane (10 August 2019). "Birmingham City player ratings: Fran Villalba is magic as Bristol City peg Blues back". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  14. Dick, Brian (24 October 2019). "'If your car is broken' – Clotet talks Bellingham, Villalba, the power of St Andrew's and much more". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  15. Dick, Brian (16 January 2020). "'Real interest' – Pep Clotet had this to say about Birmingham City star's future". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  16. "Fran Villalba". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  17. "Blues injury list continues to ease". Birmingham City F.C. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  18. Culley, Jon (6 October 2019). "Odin Bailey the hero as Birmingham City snatch dramatic late victory over Middlesbrough". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  19. Dick, Brian (6 October 2019). "How we rated Odin Bailey, Jude Bellingham & the rest in Birmingham City's Middlesbrough win". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  20. Dick, Brian (6 October 2019). "Camp, Colin and Bellingham – How Birmingham City's players rate this season". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
    Dick, Brian (21 November 2019). "'Three forwards' – The mouthwatering options open to Pep Clotet and Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  21. "Games played by Fran Villalba in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  22. "Fran Villalba returns to Spain". Birmingham City F.C. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  23. Lowe, Sid; Jackson, Jamie (12 March 2020). "Real Madrid players in quarantine and La Liga suspended due to coronavirus". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  24. "Loan extension granted for Fran Villalba". Birmingham City F.C. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  25. "Fran Villalba: Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo: Matches 2014–15". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  26. "Fran Villalba: Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo: Matches 2016–17". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  27. "Fran Villalba: Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo: Matches 2017–18". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  28. "Fran Villalba: Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo: Matches 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
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