Francisco "Paco" Molina Simón (29 March 1930 – 14 November 2018) was a football player and manager. Born in Spain, he played for the Chile national team at international level.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Molina Simón | ||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Súria, Bages, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 14 November 2018 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Antofagasta, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder[1] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Deportivo Roberto Parra | |||
| Santiago Wanderers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1950 | Santiago Wanderers | 30 | (8) |
| 1951–1952 | Universidad Católica | 27 | (12) |
| 1953–1956 | Atlético Madrid | 84 | (21) |
| 1957–1959 | Audax Italiano | 42 | (14) |
| 1960 | Unión Española | 23 | (4) |
| 1961 | Universidad Católica | 21 | (5) |
| 1963–1964 | Coquimbo Unido | ||
| Total | 227 | (64) | |
| International career | |||
| 1953–1959 | Chile | 8 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1963–1964 | Coquimbo Unido | ||
| 1965 | Deportes La Serena | ||
| 1966–1967 | Unión Española | ||
| 1968–1969 | Colo-Colo | ||
| 1970–1972 | Antofagasta Portuario | ||
| 1980 | O'Higgins | ||
| 1981 | Everton | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Life and club career
editBorn in Súria, Province of Barcelona, Spain, Molina alongside his family moved to Chile when he was nine in 1939.[2] They settled at Valparaíso after arriving there on board of SS Winnipeg as one of the 2.200 exiles which escaped from the Spanish Civil War. In 1942 he was naturalized Chilean.[3]
During 1940s Molina joined Santiago Wanderers youth set-up with prior spell playing at amateur club Deportivo Roberto Parra. Finally in 1948, he was promoted to Wanderers first-adult team squad aged eighteen. In Chile, he played for Universidad Católica, Audax Italiano, Unión Española and Coquimbo Unido. He is considered the first Chilean player to be successful in Spain after his step in Atlético Madrid from 1953 to 1956.[4]
International career
editMolina made his international debut in a friendly match versus Yugoslav club Hajduk on 18 February 1953, where he scored a goal and Chile won 4–1. Including this match, he made a total of 8 appearances for the Chile national team,[5] representing it at both the 1953 South American Championship, becoming the top goalscorer of the tournament with 8 goals in 6 matches, and the friendly match versus Brazil in 1959.[6]
Coaching career
editHe began his coaching career in Coquimbo Unido, at the same he was a player. Next, he coached several clubs at the Chilean Primera División, including Colo-Colo.[4]
Honours
editAudax Italiano
Universidad Católica
Individual
- South American Championship top scorer: 1953
References
edit- ^ Francisco Molina at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Paco Molina: El ídolo chileno de Atlético de Madrid, el líder español". La Tercera (in Spanish). 19 April 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ "'Paco' Molina: el goleador chileno que fue desterrado dos veces por la dictadura española". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Radio Bío-Bío. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ a b Soto, Rosario (15 November 2018). "Adiós, Paco goleador". Radio JGM (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ Marín, Edgardo (1985). La Roja de todos (Selección chilena de fútbol 1910-1985) (PDF). Santiago, Chile: SOEM Service Impresores. pp. 98, 215. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "[20/09/1959] Brasil-Chile 1:0". Partidos de La Roja (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
External links
edit- Francisco Molina at PartidosdeLaRoja.com (in Spanish)
- Francisco Molina at MemoriaWanderers.cl (in Spanish)
- Francisco Molina at PlaymakerStats.com