Iván Franco

Iván René Franco Díaz (born 16 April 2000) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Houston Dynamo, on loan from Libertad, as an attacking midfielder.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Franco and the second or maternal family name is Díaz.
Iván Franco
Personal information
Full name Iván René Franco Díaz
Date of birth (2000-04-16) 16 April 2000
Place of birth Ybycuí, Paraguay
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dynamo
(on loan from Libertad)
Number 7
Youth career
Libertad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Libertad 134 (20)
2023– → Houston Dynamo (loan) 21 (2)
International career‡
2018–2019 Paraguay U20 3 (0)
2019– Paraguay 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:09, 13 April 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2019

Club career

Born in Ybycuí, Franco joined Libertad's youth setup after being spotted at Football Dreams.[1] Promoted to the main squad for the 2018 season, he made his professional – and Primera División – debut for Libertad on 2 February of that year, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Sportivo Luqueño.[2] Franco scored his first professional goal on 4 March, netting his team's second in a 4–1 away routing of 3 de Febrero.[3][2] Nine days later, he made his Copa Libertadores debut by starting in a 2–0 away win against Atlético Tucumán.[4][2] On November 4 Franco scored in the 90+1st minute to give Gumarelo a 2–1 win vs Club Nacional.[2] Franco finished the season with 33 appearances and 7 goals across the Primera División Apertura and Clausura seasons, with Libertad finishing 3rd in both.[2][5] He contributed with five appearances in Copa Libertadores, as his side were knocked out by eventual runners up Boca Juniors in the round of 16.[6][7] Franco also made an appearance in the first ever edition of the Copa Paraguay.[8]

On 9 March 2019, Franco scored his first and second goals of the 2019 season, giving Libertad a 2–2 draw with Sportivo Luqueño.[9] On 19 October, he scored a minute into stoppage time to rescue a 1–0 win over Sol de América.[9] Franco ended the Primera División season with 11 goals and 5 assists in 37 appearances across both halves, with Libertad finishing 3rd in the Apertura and 2nd in the Clausura.[9][10] He helped Gumarelo win the 2019 Copa Paraguay, making 4 appearances and scoring 3 goals during the tournament.[11][12][13][14]

Franco scored his first goal of the 2020 season on 7 March, helping Libertad to a 5–1 win over Club General Díaz.[15] Three days later he scored his first career Copa Libertadores goal to give Libertad a 3–2 win against Caracas.[15] On 18 March 2020, Franco signed a contract extension with Libertad until 2025.[16] He ended the season with 1 goals and 1 assist in 22 Primera División appearances (including an appearance in the Clausura playoffs), plus 3 appearances and 1 goal in Copa Libertadores.[15]

Franco helped Libertad to the 2021 Apertura title, making 10 appearances and recording an assist.[17][18] They were unable to repeat as champs in the Clausura season, finishing 4th with Franco scoring once in 9 games.[17] He made 4 appearances and had 2 assists in Copa Libertadores, as well as 9 appearances and an assist in Copa Sudamericana, helping Libertad reach the semifinals where they lost 5–1 on aggregate to Red Bull Bragantino.[17] On 14 November, Franco injured his knee in a Copa Paraguay match vs Olimpia, ending his season.[19]

After 2 arthroscopic surgeries to repair his meniscus, Franco made his return to the pitch on 30 April 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win vs General Caballero JLM.[19][20] Franco had 8 appearances and 2 assists in the Apertura, helping Libertad win the title.[20][21] He finished the Clausura with 2 assists in 14 games as Libertad finished 4th.[20][21] Franco also made 4 appearances and had an assist in Copa Libertadores and played twice in Copa Paraguay.[20][22][23] Following the 2022 season, Franco asked the club for a transfer, hoping a change in scenery would help him find his form.[24]

On 7 January 2023, it was announced that Franco would join Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo on loan for their 2023 season.[25] He made his Dynamo debut on 25 February, getting the start in a 2–1 loss to FC CIncinnati in the opening match of the season.[26]

International career

On 21 December 2018, Franco was called up by Paraguay under-20s for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship.[27]

On 10 September 2019, Franco made his senior international debut with the Paraguay national team in a 4–2 friendly win away to Jordan.

Style of play

Franco has been praised for the ability and quickness of thought to play as a playmaker in the ‘number 10’ role.[28] He was dubbed as Paraguay's new star by South American football expert Tim Vickery on the BBC’s World Football Phone-In show.[29]

Career statistics
As of 27 February 2023.[30][31][32][33]
Club statistics
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Libertad2018Primera División 347105[lower-alpha 2]0—407
2019 3711433[lower-alpha 2]0—4414
2020 221—3[lower-alpha 2]1—252
2021 1913213[lower-alpha 3]0—353
2022 220204[lower-alpha 2]0—280
Total 134201052810017226
Houston Dynamo (loan)2023MLS 1000000010
Career total 135201052810017326
  1. Includes Copa Paraguay and U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores.
  3. Four appearances in Copa Libertadores, nine appearances in Copa Sudamericana

Honours

Libertad

References
  1. "Iván Franco cumplió su sueño y ya pinta para crack" [Iván Franco fulfilled his dream and already poses as star] (in Spanish). Monumental 1080 AM. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. "Iván Franco 2018 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  3. "Libertad golea en el Este y sigue de cerca al líder del Apertura" [Libertad thrash in Este and follow closely the leader of the Apertura] (in Spanish). La Nación. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. "Copa Libertadores: Libertad derrotó 2–0 a Atlético Tucumán por el grupo de Peñarol" [Copa Libertadores: Libertad defeated Atlético Tucumán by 2–0 in Peñarol's group] (in Spanish). Fútbol.uy. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  5. "2018 Primera División Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  6. "Boca no tuvo piedad ante Libertad y goleó 4 a 2" [Boca had no mercy against Libertad and thrashed by 4–2] (in Spanish). Canal Showsport. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  7. "Iván Franco-Partidos Realizados-Resumen-2018". Ceroacero (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  8. "Roque mete a Olimpia en semis". APF (in Spanish). 11 July 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  9. "Iván Franco 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  10. "2019 Primera División Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  11. "Fiesta en Mallorquín con la Copa Paraguay". APR (in Spanish). 10 July 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. "Libertad se anota en semifinales". APR (in Spanish). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  13. "Libertad goleó y es finalista de la Copa de Todos". APR (in Spanish). 5 November 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  14. "Libertad es el campeón de la Copa de Todos". APR (in Spanish). 4 December 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  15. "Iván Franco 2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  16. "Libertad renueva con Iván Franco hasta el 2025". D10 (in Spanish). 18 March 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  17. "Iván Franco-Partidos Realizados-Resumen-2021". Ceroacero (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  18. "2021 Primera División Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  19. "¿Qué pasó de Iván Franco?". Versus (in Spanish). 24 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  20. "Iván Franco 2022 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  21. "2022 Primera División Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  22. "Libertad avanzó a los octavos de final". APF (in Spanish). 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  23. "Guaraní es el último clasificado a la semifinal". APF (in Spanish). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  24. "Libertad: Iván Franco manifestó sus ganas de cambiar de equipo". El Nacional. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  25. "Houston Dynamo FC sign attacker Iván Franco on loan from Club Libertad". Houston Dynamo FC. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  26. "Iván Franco 2023 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  27. "La Albirroja Sub 20 tiene su lista para el Sudamericano de Chile" [The Albirroja under-20 have their list for the South American of Chile] (in Spanish). Tigo Sports. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  28. "Iván Franco, el joven "10" que gana cancha en Libertad" [Iván Franco, the young "10" who wins the field at Libertad] (in Spanish). D10. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  29. "5 live's World Football Phone-in - Downloads - BBC Radio 5 live". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  30. "Paraguay - I. Franco - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  31. "Iván Franco Stats, Goals, Records, Assists, Cups and more". FBref.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  32. "Iván Franco-Temporada A Temporada". Ceroacero (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  33. "Iván Franco". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
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