José Francisco Molina

José Molina
Molina in action for Levante
Personal information
Full name José Francisco Molina Jiménez
Date of birth (1970-08-08) 8 August 1970
Place of birth Valencia, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Benimar
Valencia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1993 Valencia B 18 (0)
1990–1991 → Alzira (loan) 29 (0)
1993–1994 Valencia 0 (0)
1993–1994 → Villarreal (loan) 18 (0)
1994–1995 Albacete 23 (0)
1995–2000 Atlético Madrid 189 (0)
2000–2006 Deportivo La Coruña 169 (0)
2006–2007 Levante 34 (0)
Total 480 (0)
National team
1996–2000 Spain 9 (0)
Teams managed
2009–2011 Villarreal C
2011 Villarreal B
2011–2012 Villarreal
2013–2014 Getafe B
2014–2015 Kitchee
2016 Atlético Kolkata
2017–2018 Atlético San Luis
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

José Francisco Molina Jiménez (born 8 August 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and is the sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

11 years of his extensive professional career were spent at Atlético Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruña, where he won a total of five titles combined. Over 14 seasons, he appeared in 415 La Liga matches.

A Spain international for four years, Molina represented the nation at the 1998 World Cup and two European Championships.

Club career

Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Molina started playing professionally with modest UD Alzira, being purchased in 1991 by local giants Valencia CF. After a loan stint with neighbours Villarreal CF he was sold to Albacete Balompié, making his La Liga debut on 8 January 1995 in a 1–0 home win against Real Oviedo.[1] Even though he conceded eight goals in the last matchday, a home loss against Deportivo de La Coruña,[2] his team managed to escape relegation in the playoffs.

Molina's career was intimately related with Atlético Madrid, of which he claimed to be a fan. Signing in 1995, he helped the capital club win a double (league and Copa del Rey) in his first year, going on to miss only two league matches in four seasons combined.[3]

Joining 2000 league champions Deportivo La Coruña after Atlético's relegation, Molina proceeded to win a Spanish cup and two supercups, being an undisputed starter throughout his stint in Galicia. However, on 14 October 2002, he announced that he suffered from testicular cancer,[4][5] and that he was forced to undergo treatment for his illness, thus missing most of the 2002–03 campaign (ten league appearances, as Depor finished third); he eventually recovered fully.[6][7]

After his link expired,[8] Molina returned home to Valencia for 2006–07, playing for top division strugglers Levante UD, but did not renew his contract after the season's end, retiring subsequently after the club retained its league status.

In the 2009–10 campaign, Molina started a coaching career with Villarreal C in Tercera División. On 12 May 2011, he replaced fired Javi Gracia at the helm of the reserves in Segunda División as the team was seriously threatened with relegation.[9]

Molina reached Villarreal's main squad on 22 December 2011, taking the place of sacked Juan Carlos Garrido.[10] He was himself sacked on 18 March of the following year after a 0–1 away loss against former club Levante, with the Yellow Submarine dangerously close to the relegation zone (17th).[11]

In 2014, after leading Getafe CF B to the 14th place in Segunda División B, Molina was appointed at Hong Kong's Kitchee SC. In his only season he managed win the domestic treble, also taking the team to the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup.[12]

On 3 May 2016, Molina was announced as the head coach of Indian Super League side Atlético de Kolkata, replacing countryman Antonio López Habas.[13] On 14 November of the following year, he was appointed at Ascenso MX club Atlético San Luis ahead of the Clausura tournament;[14] he was fired by the latter on 18 February 2018 after just two wins in 11 matches in all competitions, with his side in last position in the league.[15]

In July 2018, Molina was appointed as sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, replacing Fernando Hierro who had resigned in the aftermath of Spain's performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[16]

International career

Molina made his Spanish national team debut as an outfield player against Norway on 24 April 1996 – a cameo appearance as a left winger, as all replacements had been made by coach Javier Clemente and Juan Manuel López retired injured.[17][18]

He was then included in the squads for UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but had to wait until Euro 2000 for first-choice status, although he was dropped after a blunder in the opening 0–1 loss to Norway and did not play afterwards.[19]

Honours

Player

Club

Atlético Madrid

Deportivo

Individual

Manager

Kitchee

Atlético Kolkata

References

  1. ↑ "El Oviedo no merece perder en Albacete" [Oviedo do not deserve to lose in Albacete] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 9 January 1995. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  2. ↑ Al pozo a ritmo de mambo (Down the pit mambo-style); Mundo Deportivo, 19 June 1995 (in Spanish)
  3. ↑ "20 años del 'Doblete' del Atlético de Liga y Copa" [20th anniversary of Atlético's League and Cup ‘Double’] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Molina on cancer fight; UEFA, 14 October 2002
  5. ↑ Molina: "Del cáncer se sale" (Molina: "You can beat cancer"); El Mundo, 14 January 2003 (in Spanish)
  6. ↑ Molina battles back; UEFA, 14 January 2003
  7. ↑ Molina back in the frame; UEFA, 10 March 2003
  8. ↑ Molina announces Depor departure; UEFA, 15 May 2006
  9. ↑ Molina sustituye al destituido Javi Gracia al frente del filial (Moya replaces sacked Javi Gracia in farm team); Marca, 12 May 2011 (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ Molina to lead Villarreal; ESPN Soccernet, 22 December 2011
  11. ↑ Villarreal sack Molina; ESPN Soccernet, 18 March 2012
  12. ↑ Exclusive: Jose Molina – The final interview with the ex-Kitchee manager; Offside, 2 July 2015
  13. ↑ Indian Super League: Atletico de Kolkata announce Jose Molina as new head coach; Goal, 3 May 2016
  14. ↑ "San Luis presenta técnico" [San Luis present coach] (in Spanish). Ascenso MX. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  15. ↑ "José Francisco Molina es cesado del Atlético San Luis" [José Francisco Molina is sacked from Atlético San Luis] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  16. ↑ Garcia, Adriana (9 July 2018). "Jose Francisco Molina new Spain director". ESPN. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Molina marca ya (Molina score already); Mundo Deportivo, 25 April 1996 (in Spanish)
  18. ↑ "Él sabe lo que sentimos" ("He knows how we feel"); El País, 15 January 2012 (in Spanish)
  19. ↑ Spain slain by Iversen; UEFA, 6 October 2003
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