Francisco Javier Sánchez Broto
Encyclopedia
Francisco Javier Sánchez Broto (born 25 August 1971) is a retired Spanish
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After eight years in his country where he appeared almost exclusively as a backup, playing for four clubs, he headed to Scotland
, where he represented Airdrieonians
, Livingston
and Celtic
.
, Catalonia
, Sánchez Broto joined the Real Zaragoza
academy at 14. His failure to make an impression as an attacker led to his being used as a goalkeeper. In the 1992–93 top flight
season, he appeared in four games for the Aragonese
's first-team, and subsequently moved to the second level of Spanish football
, appearing for Villarreal CF
and Málaga CF
, winning a championship medal with the latter (he only appeared however in four league matches over the course of two seasons).
In 2000, Sánchez Broto moved to Scottish
side Airdrie
on a Bosman transfer
. During his first season, Airdrie won the Scottish Challenge Cup, after the player saved three penalties
in the shootout against Livingston
. When the club ran into financial problems, Sánchez Broto joined Livingston, being an important member of the Scottish First Division-winning side in 2001, while earning himself the SPFA Player of the Season Award.
In January 2003, Sánchez Broto joined Celtic
, who required a goalkeeper following injuries to Rab Douglas
and Magnus Hedman
. He left the club at the end of the 2002–03 season, citing a desire to return home, and signed with Real Murcia
- in the top division - for 2003–04, appearing rarely as his side was eventually relegated.
Sánchez Broto signed with newly-promoted Getafe CF
- the club's first ever appearance in the top division - in 2004–05
. Not an undisputed starter for the Madrid
side, he did appear in 20 league matches out of 38, his performances resulting in Diario Marca
rating him the third-best goalkeeper in Spain for that season. Whilst at Getafe, after losing a bet, he donated a pair of goalkeeper gloves to every goalkeeper in Spain's lower divisions.
After one sole season, the 34-year old signed with Hércules CF
in division two, but retired from professional football shortly after, due to injuries. He expressed regret at having to retire so young, and despite his popularity throughout his career, remained self-effacing when looking back. In a 2006 interview given to Diario Equipo, Sánchez Broto remarked that he had "enjoyed soccer as a little person of the game and would like to thank everyone who has made it all possible".
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After eight years in his country where he appeared almost exclusively as a backup, playing for four clubs, he headed to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where he represented Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
, Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
.
Football career
Born in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Sánchez Broto joined the Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
academy at 14. His failure to make an impression as an attacker led to his being used as a goalkeeper. In the 1992–93 top flight
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
season, he appeared in four games for the Aragonese
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
's first-team, and subsequently moved to the second level of Spanish football
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, appearing for Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...
and Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, winning a championship medal with the latter (he only appeared however in four league matches over the course of two seasons).
In 2000, Sánchez Broto moved to Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
side Airdrie
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
on a Bosman transfer
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
. During his first season, Airdrie won the Scottish Challenge Cup, after the player saved three penalties
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the shootout against Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
. When the club ran into financial problems, Sánchez Broto joined Livingston, being an important member of the Scottish First Division-winning side in 2001, while earning himself the SPFA Player of the Season Award.
In January 2003, Sánchez Broto joined Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, who required a goalkeeper following injuries to Rab Douglas
Robert Douglas (footballer)
Robert James "Rab" Douglas is a Scottish footballer currently playing for Dundee as a goalkeeper. He is a former Scotland international, and is known as a Motherwell F.C. supporter.-Celtic:...
and Magnus Hedman
Magnus Hedman
Magnus Carl Hedman is a Swedish former football goalkeeper. He played 58 matches for the Sweden national football team, and represented his country at two FIFA World Cup and two European Championship tournaments....
. He left the club at the end of the 2002–03 season, citing a desire to return home, and signed with Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....
- in the top division - for 2003–04, appearing rarely as his side was eventually relegated.
Sánchez Broto signed with newly-promoted Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
- the club's first ever appearance in the top division - in 2004–05
2004–05 La Liga
2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna...
. Not an undisputed starter for the Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
side, he did appear in 20 league matches out of 38, his performances resulting in Diario Marca
Marca (newspaper)
MARCA is a Spanish national daily sports newspaper owned by Unidad Editorial. The newspaper focuses primarily on football, in particular the day-to-day activities of Real Madrid CF...
rating him the third-best goalkeeper in Spain for that season. Whilst at Getafe, after losing a bet, he donated a pair of goalkeeper gloves to every goalkeeper in Spain's lower divisions.
After one sole season, the 34-year old signed with Hércules CF
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
in division two, but retired from professional football shortly after, due to injuries. He expressed regret at having to retire so young, and despite his popularity throughout his career, remained self-effacing when looking back. In a 2006 interview given to Diario Equipo, Sánchez Broto remarked that he had "enjoyed soccer as a little person of the game and would like to thank everyone who has made it all possible".
Honours
- MálagaMálaga CFMálaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
:- Spanish Second DivisionSegunda DivisiónThe Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
: 1998–99
- Spanish Second Division
- AirdrieAirdrieonians F.C.Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
:- Scottish Challenge Cup: 2000–01
- LivingstonLivingston F.C.Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...
:- Scottish First Division: 2000–01