Francisco Rufete
Encyclopedia
Francisco Joaquín Pérez Rufete (born 20 November 1976 in Benejúzar
, Vega Baja del Segura
, Alicante) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Hércules CF
.
He plays predominantly as a right winger with good dribbling ability, also being a player with a good workrate; during his professional career, he played with seven different clubs, including FC Barcelona
(one match) and Valencia CF
(two La Liga
titles).
's youth system, Rufete appeared once for the first team, on 25 May 1996, in 1995–96's final round, a 2–2 away draw against Deportivo de La Coruña
. His first full professional season came in 1997–98, with Segunda División
outfit CD Toledo
.
After having started 1998–99 with RCD Mallorca
(no appearances), he moved in January 1999 to Málaga CF
, being instrumental, alongside midfielder
José María Movilla
and striker Catanha
, in the side's promotion to La Liga
(Málaga was in the third level
in the previous season).
After two exceptional individual seasons, Rufete moved to Valencia CF
. Although not an undisputed starter after his first season, he contributed with good overall performances. On 14 March 2004, he netted twice at Celta de Vigo
(2–0), as the Che won another domestic title.
After Quique Flores arrived at Valencia from Getafe CF
, Rufete was released, joining RCD Espanyol
on a free transfer on July 2006. He was constantly hampered by injuries during 2007–08, after having appeared in 11 UEFA Cup contests during the Catalan
side's run to the final in 2007
.
In mid-July 2009, Rufete was released by Espanyol, moving close to home with Hércules CF
, in a 2+1 deal. In his first season
, aged 32/33, the veteran contributed with nearly 2,000 minutes, as the Alicante
side returned to the top division after an absence of 13 years.
with the Spain national football team
in 2000, the first being in a 2–0 friendly win over Italy
on 29 March in Barcelona
. He subbed in for Joseba Etxeberria
at the hour mark.
Espanyol
Spain U18
Benejúzar
Benejúzar is a town and municipality located in the comarca of Vega Baja del Segura, in the province of Alicante, Spain. Benejúzar has an area of 9.3 km² and, according to the 2005 census, a total population of 5,249 inhabitants. The economy of Benejúzar is mainly based on agriculture...
, Vega Baja del Segura
Vega Baja del Segura
Vega Baja del Segura is a comarca in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain.To the North its neighbouring comarcas are the Baix Vinalopó and Vinalopó Mitjà...
, Alicante) is a Spanish
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 plays for 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...
.
He plays predominantly as a right winger with good dribbling ability, also being a player with a good workrate; during his professional career, he played with seven different clubs, including FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
(one match) and Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
(two La Liga
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...
titles).
Club career
A product of FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's youth system, Rufete appeared once for the first team, on 25 May 1996, in 1995–96's final round, a 2–2 away draw against Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
. His first full professional season came in 1997–98, with Segunda División
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:...
outfit CD Toledo
CD Toledo
Club Deportivo Toledo, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1928, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home games at Estadio Salto del Caballo, with a seating capacity of 5,300.Home uniforms consist of green...
.
After having started 1998–99 with RCD Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
(no appearances), he moved in January 1999 to 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...
, being instrumental, alongside midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
José María Movilla
José María Movilla
José María Movilla Cubero is a Spanish footballer who plays for Rayo Vallecano mainly as a central midfielder.Although a skilled player, he is best known for his tireless approach to the game.-Football career:...
and striker Catanha
Catanha
Henrique Guedes da Silva, aka Catanha , is a Brazilian-born Spanish footballer who plays for Centro Sportivo Alagoano as a striker....
, in the side's promotion to La Liga
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...
(Málaga was in the third level
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
in the previous season).
After two exceptional individual seasons, Rufete moved to Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. Although not an undisputed starter after his first season, he contributed with good overall performances. On 14 March 2004, he netted twice at Celta de Vigo
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo , simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.Nicknamed Los Celestes ,...
(2–0), as the Che won another domestic title.
After Quique Flores arrived at Valencia from 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....
, Rufete was released, joining RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
on a free transfer on July 2006. He was constantly hampered by injuries during 2007–08, after having appeared in 11 UEFA Cup contests during the Catalan
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...
side's run to the final in 2007
2007 UEFA Cup Final
-Match statistics:*-See also:*2006–07 UEFA Cup*UEFA Intertoto Cup*2007 UEFA Champions League Final...
.
In mid-July 2009, Rufete was released by Espanyol, moving close to home 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 a 2+1 deal. In his first season
2009–10 Segunda División
The 2009–10 Segunda División was made up of the following teams:-League table:||rowspan=15 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-2009–10 Results:To read this table, the home team is listed in the left-hand column....
, aged 32/33, the veteran contributed with nearly 2,000 minutes, as the Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
side returned to the top division after an absence of 13 years.
International career
Rufete received three capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
with the Spain national football team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in 2000, the first being in a 2–0 friendly win over Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on 29 March in Barcelona
Barcelona
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...
. He subbed in for Joseba Etxeberria
Joseba Etxeberría
Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi is a retired Spanish footballer who played mostly as a winger.After starting his professional career at only 17, with Real Sociedad, he quickly switched to Basque neighbours Athletic de Bilbao, going on to spend the rest of his extensive career there.Exteberria...
at the hour mark.
Honours
Valencia- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe 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...
: 2001–02, 2003–04 - UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 20042004 UEFA Super CupThe 2004 UEFA Super Cup was a UEFA-sponsored association football match between Porto of Portugal and Valencia of Spain, held on 27 August 2004 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. The match was the 29th annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup...
Espanyol
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2006–07
Spain U18
- UEFA U-18 ChampionshipUEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThe European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
: 1995