Francisco Sandaza
 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco José Sandaza Asensio | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Toledo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Girona | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Leganés | |||
| Coslada | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | Toledo B | ||
| 2004 | Toledo | 7 | (1) |
| 2004–2008 | Valencia B | 36 | (23) |
| 2005 | → Onda (loan) | 12 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | → Puçol (loan) | 20 | (9) |
| 2008–2010 | Dundee United | 38 | (11) |
| 2010–2011 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 19 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | St Johnstone | 27 | (14) |
| 2012–2013 | Rangers | 14 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Lugo | 26 | (5) |
| 2014–2015 | Girona | 38 | (16) |
| 2015–2016 | FC Tokyo | 8 | (0) |
| 2016– | Girona | 0 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:59, 1 July 2016 (UTC). |
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Francisco José Sandaza Asensio (born 30 November 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Girona FC as a forward.
Sandaza joined Valencia in 2002 and played in the Primera División outfit's reserve team. Before, Sandaza played on loan in UD Puçol in the Tercera División (his coach that year in UD Puçol was Luis Milla). He considered leaving full-time football to become a police officer. Sandaza is also good friend with Valencia's teammate and now Barcelona player Jordi Alba, during his time at Valencia B.
On 11 July 2008, Sandaza instead signed for Scottish Premier League side Dundee United, making his league début exactly a month later. After scoring three goals in pre-season, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the 1–1 draw against Celtic on 17 August 2008. In September, Sandaza scored his second and netted four times in the first half of November, including a double against eventual champions, Rangers. Injury halted Sandaza's progress towards the end of the year and he didn't score again until late February, scoring three more times in March. In his first season in Scotland, Sandaza scored ten league goals, with five coming against the Old Firm.
A groin injury prevented Sandaza from starting the 2009–10 season, with a November operation likely to see him return by the end of 2009. Hernia problems restricted his appearances during the season, and he was struggling to get into the United first team so in August 2010 was allowed to go on trial with Swansea City. Sandaza was eventually released by United on 31 August, allowing him to sign for another club as a free agent after the closure of the transfer window. During his time at Dundee United, Sandaza earned a nickname "Braveheart" by the club's supporters.
Sandaza signed for Brighton & Hove Albion under their new manager Gus Poyet. Sandaza made his debut for the club, coming on for Glenn Murray in a 69th minutes, in a 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle. A few weeks later, Sandaza scored his first goal, a winning goal in a 2–1 win over Oldham Athletic. In the FA Cup campaign, Sandaza scored two goals in two consecutive games, in separate round victories against United of Manchester and Portsmouth. Two months later, on 22 February 2011, he scored again, but this time it's against Plymouth (the team he made his debut against). However, his time at Brighton was limited after his first team was he was surplus to requirements, due to goalscoring form of Ashley Barnes and Glenn Murray. At the end of the season, the club would get promoted to the Championship.
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