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]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sporting Gijón
Youth career
2011–2016 Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Valencia B 80 (8)
2015–2019 Valencia 1 (0)
2018–2019 → Numancia (loan) 39 (4)
2019–2022 Birmingham City 17 (1)
2020–2021 → Almería (loan) 46 (5)
2021–2022 → Sporting Gijón (loan) 38 (4)
2022– Sporting Gijón 12 (0)
2022–2023 → Málaga (loan) 34 (1)
International career
2014 Spain U16 2 (1)
2014–2015 Spain U17 17 (3)
2016 Spain U18 2 (0)
2016 Spain U19 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:29, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo (born 11 May 1998) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Segunda División club Sporting de Gijón.

He began his career with Valencia and spent a season on loan to Numancia before moving to England in 2019 to join Birmingham City. He returned to Spain in January 2020 and spent the next 18 months on loan to Almería, before joining Sporting Gijón on loan for the 2021–22 season. After the loan was made permanent, he spent the 2022–23 season on loan to Málaga. In international football, he has represented Spain from under-16 to under-19 level.

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's contract was extended for a further year in January 2020,[22] and he 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.[23] He scored once from five first-team appearances before football in Spain was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic,[16][24] and once from four matches after the resumption,[16] before his loan spell was extended to cover the remainder of the season.[25] He finished with 18 appearances as Almería failed to secure automatic promotion and then lost to Girona in the play-off semi-final.[26][27]

Villalba's loan was extended to the end of the 2020–21 season in a deal that retained the option to purchase.[28] He made 30 league appearances as Almería again reached the play-offs and again lost to Girona in the semi-final, and the club chose not to retain his services.[16][29]

He joined another Segunda División club, Sporting Gijón, on 3 August 2021 on loan for the 2021–22 season.[30] His first goal, from a shot that looped up off a defender and over the goalkeeper, opened the scoring in a 2–1 defeat of Leganés on 10 September that extended Sporting's unbeaten start to the season to five matches.[16][31] By the end of January 2022, he had 28 appearances, mainly as a starter, four goals and four assists, and the club confirmed that it had taken up its option to purchase. Villalba signed a four-year contract to come into force on 1 July, after the expiry of his loan.[32][33]

Sporting Gijon

On 24 June 2022, Villalba's transfer to Sporting Gijón was finally confirmed, for an undisclosed fee.[34] On 16 August, however, he moved to Segunda División rivals Málaga on loan for the season.[35]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 December 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Valencia Mestalla 2014–15[36] Segunda División B30——30
2015–16[2] Segunda División B210——210
2016–17[37] Segunda División B222—1[lower-alpha 2]0232
2017–18[38] Segunda División B346——346
Total 808——818
Valencia 2015–16[2] La Liga10300040
Numancia (loan) 2018–19[39] Segunda División39410—404
Birmingham City 2019–20[21] Championship17100—171
Almería (loan) 2019–20[26] Segunda División162—2[lower-alpha 3]0182
2020–21[40] Segunda División30350—353
Total 4655020535
Sporting Gijón (loan) 2021–22[41] Segunda División38440—424
Sporting Gijón 2022–23[16] Segunda División0000—00
2023–24[16] Segunda División12010—130
Total 50450—554
Málaga (loan) 2022–23[16] Segunda División34110—351
Career total 267221503028522

References

  1. ↑ "Notification of shirt numbers: Birmingham City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 4. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Fran Villalba: 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fran Villalba". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  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. 1 2 "Games played by Fran Villalba in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  22. ↑ Dick, Brian (14 December 2021). "Surprising Birmingham City contract twist emerges". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  23. ↑ "Fran Villalba returns to Spain". Birmingham City F.C. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ "Loan extension granted for Fran Villalba". Birmingham City F.C. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Fran Villalba: Matches 2019–20". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  27. ↑ "1–2: Almería die with their boots on". Unión Deportiva Almería. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "UD Almería extend Fran Villalba loan deal". Unión Deportiva Almería. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  29. ↑ Gregorio, Paco (8 June 2021). "Villalba y Schettine, los primeros cedidos en saber que no continuarán" [Villalba and Schettine, the first loanees to find out they won't be staying]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  30. ↑ "Fran Villalba moves to Sporting de Gijon on loan". Birmingham City F.C. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  31. ↑ "El Sporting no afloja y tumba al Leganés" [Sporting keep the pressure on and topple Leganés]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  32. ↑ Cusack, Richard (1 February 2022). "Birmingham City transfer clause triggered for summer move". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "El Sporting firma a Fran Villalba hasta 2026" [Sporting sign Fran Villalba until 2026] (in Spanish). Real Sporting de Gijón. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  34. ↑ "Fran Villalba departs Blues". Birmingham City F.C. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "Fran Villalba no continúa en el Sporting" [Fran Villalba does not continue at Sporting] (in Spanish). Sporting Gijón. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  36. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2014–15". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  37. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2016–17". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  38. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2017–18". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  39. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  40. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2020–21". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  41. ↑ "Fran Villalba: Matches 2021–22". BDFutbol. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
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