Paco Fortes

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

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Fortes and the second or maternal family name is Calvo.

Paco Fortes
Fortes (first row, first to right) in 1978
Personal information
Full name Francisco Fortes Calvo[1]
Date of birth (1955-01-04) 4 January 1955[1]
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain[1]
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
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)
International career
1975 Spain 1 (0)
1976 Spain amateur 1 (0)
Managerial career
1989–1999 Farense
1999–2001 Imortal
2001 União Lamas
2002 Farense
2003–2005 Pinhalnovense
2006–2007 Raja Casablanca
2007–2008 Pinhalnovense
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Even though he also played for Barcelona, his career was mainly associated with Farense in Portugal, either as a player or manager.[2]

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 spells. He made his La Liga debut on 5 October 1975 at the age of 20, in a 3–0 home win against Granada CF.[3]

Fortes signed for neighbours RCD Español in 1979 after being released by Barcelona, staying three seasons with the club.[4] Subsequently, he joined Real Valladolid still in the top flight, going on to appear in 175 games and score 14 goals in the competition.[5] He earned his only cap for Spain on 16 November 1975, playing 15 minutes in the 2–2 draw in Romania for the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers.[6]

In summer 1984, the 29-year-old Fortes moved to S.C. Farense in Portugal, being relegated from the Primeira Liga in his first year but winning immediate promotion. He appeared in more than 100 official matches for the Algarve side in his five-year stint.[7]

Coaching career

In late 1988, aged 33, Fortes retired from football and immediately started coaching Farense. He was in charge of eight games that season, winning four and drawing two, but the team eventually could not escape relegation after ranking 18th. Promotion befell the following campaign, as champions.[8]

Fortes remained at the helm of the club for one decade, managing four consecutive top-eight finishes from 1991 to 1995, including a best-ever fourth in 1994–95 as Farense qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.[9] He was dismissed after the 21st round in 1998–99, moving to neighbouring Imortal D.C. of the Segunda Liga.[10]

Early into 2001–02, after only six games with C.F. União de Lamas (also second tier), Fortes returned to his beloved Farense, 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.[11] After leaving midway through the following campaign, he spent two full seasons and part of a third with C.D. Pinhalnovense in division three.[12]

After reuniting with Redouane at Raja CA,[13] 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.[14]

Honours

Player

Barcelona

Valladolid

Farense

Manager

Farense

References
  1. Paco Fortes at WorldFootball.net
  2. 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.
  3. "3–0: Pudieron ser seis" [3–0: It could have been six]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 October 1975. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  4. "Anecdotario de una presentación" [Anecdotes in presentation]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 July 1979. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  5. "Hoy recordamos... las vidas paralelas de Fortes y Díez" [Today we remember... the parallel lives of Fortes and Díez] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  6. 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.
  7. Cunha, Pedro Jorge (6 May 2020). "Cava catalão, lágrimas marroquinas, 'tiros' sérvios: o Farense em festa" [Catalan cava, Moroccan tears, Serbian 'shots': Farense party] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  8. Silva, Rui Pedro (10 January 2019). "Futebol dos 90. O Farense de 1997/98" [90s football. 1997/98 Farense] (in Portuguese). É Desporto. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. "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.
  10. "Paco Fortes é o novo treinador do Imortal" [Paco Fortes is the new manager of Imortal]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 September 1999. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. Anjinho, Jorge (17 April 2003). "Farense em risco de sobrevivência" [Farense at risk of folding]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  12. "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.
  13. "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.
  14. 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.
  15. "Victoria clara en una final de poca categoría" [Clear win in final of little class]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 20 April 1978. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  16. G. Encinas, Antonio; Ucero, Rodrigo (2009). "25 años de la Copa de la Liga" [25 years from the League Cup]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
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