Fran Vélez
Spanish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francisco 'Fran' Manuel Vélez Jiménez (born 23 June 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central defender or a right-back.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Manuel Vélez Jiménez | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Tarragona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | La Floresta | ||
| 2009–2010 | Gimnàstic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2013 | Gimnàstic | 38 | (4) |
| 2010–2012 | Pobla Mafumet | 29 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | → Logroñés (loan) | 28 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Almería B | 26 | (2) |
| 2014–2017 | Almería | 75 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Wisła Kraków | 17 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Aris | 47 | (5) |
| 2020–2022 | Panathinaikos | 54 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Al Fateh | 21 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Aris | 28 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Cartagena | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:08, 5 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Gimnàstic
Born in Tarragona, Catalonia, Vélez began playing football for Club Esportiu La Floresta.[1] In late 2009 he signed a contract with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, where he spent his last year as a junior.
On 10 April 2010, Vélez made his official Nàstic debut, starting against Albacete Balompié in a 1–1 away draw.[2] He made three more appearances during the season in Segunda División, against Real Betis,[3] Cádiz CF (where he was sent off)[4] and UD Las Palmas.[5] In the following campaign, he represented CF Pobla de Mafumet, the farm team.
Vélez was loaned to UD Logroñés of Segunda División B in August 2011.[6] He scored his only goal of the season against Real Sociedad B, contributing to a 3–1 home win.[7]
On 14 July 2012, Vélez returned to Nàstic and its main squad.[8] On 26 August he played his first game in his second stint, against Valencia CF Mestalla.[9] He netted his first goal with the club on 7 October, opening the 2–0 home victory over CD Binissalem.[10]
Almería
On 2 September 2013, Vélez signed with UD Almería, initially being assigned to the reserves also in the third division.[11] He made his first-team debut on 14 January of the following year, starting as a right-back in a 2–0 home loss to Racing de Santander in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey (3–1 loss on aggregate).[12]
Vélez's maiden appearance in La Liga took place on 27 April 2014: he started and scored in a 2–1 win at RCD Espanyol, where he featured as a defensive midfielder before being replaced by Jonathan Zongo in the 71st minute.[13] He played a further three matches with the main squad, only contributing four minutes in the last fixture, a 0–0 home draw against Athletic Bilbao.[14]
On 7 June 2014, Vélez was definitely promoted to the first team.[15] On 31 March 2015, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a shoulder injury;[16] the season also ended in relegation.
Vélez was regularly used during the following second-tier campaigns, and cut ties with the club on 28 June 2017.[17]
Wisła Kraków
On 1 July 2017, Vélez signed with Polish club Wisła Kraków.[18] He scored his only goal in the Ekstraklasa on 18 March 2018, helping to a 2–0 away victory over Legia Warsaw.[19]
Aris
On 25 July 2018, after the player successfully passed his medicals, Aris Thessaloniki F.C. announced the signing of Vélez on a two-year contract.[20] He scored his first goal for the team the following 24 February, heading home in a 1–1 draw at Super League Greece leaders PAOK FC.[21]
Later career
Vélez agreed to join Panathinaikos F.C. on 20 February 2020, with the three-year deal being made effective on 1 July.[22] In September 2023, after one season in the Saudi Pro League with Al Fateh SC, the 32-year-old returned to Aris on a two-year contract.[23]
Personal life
Vélez's older brother, José Antonio, was also a footballer. Both played for Gimnàstic and Pobla.[24]
Career statistics
- As of match played 14 April 2024[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gimnàstic | 2009–10 | Segunda División | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 4 | |||
| Pobla Mafumet | 2010–11 | Tercera División | 29 | 3 | — | — | 29 | 3 | ||
| Logroñés | 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| Almería B | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 26 | 2 | — | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| Almería | 2013–14 | La Liga | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Segunda División | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Segunda División | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| Total | 75 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 78 | 2 | |||
| Wisła Kraków | 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| Aris | 2018–19 | Super League Greece | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | Super League Greece | 24 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 32 | 4 | |
| Total | 47 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 5 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 2020–21 | Super League Greece | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |
| 2021–22 | Super League Greece | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| Total | 54 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 60 | 2 | |||
| Al-Fateh | 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |
| Aris | 2023–24 | Super League Greece | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Career total | 345 | 20 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 373 | 21 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey, Greek Football Cup, King Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League