Francisco Acuña

Francisco Acuña
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier Acuña Víctor
Date of birth (1988-01-19) 19 January 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2007–2008 Tigres UANL
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Tigres UANL 55 (7)
2008–2009UANL Premier 8 (0)
2013San Luis (loan) 10 (0)
2013Atlante (loan) 0 (0)
2014Morelia (loan) 2 (0)
2014–2019 Puebla 71 (6)
2015–2016BUAP (loan) 10 (1)
2020 Atlético Ottawa 7 (2)
2021 Necaxa 1 (0)
2021–2024 Sonora 56 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 October 2022

Francisco Javier Acuña Víctor (born 19 January 1988) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga de Expansión MX club Sonora.

Club career

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UANL

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Acuña developed with the youth squads of Tigres UANL.[1] In 2008, he made his debut with the reserves in the Primera División A, making eight appearances that season.[2] He later made his Mexican Primera División debut for UANL on 19 October 2008 as a substitute in a 4–1 win over Monterrey, and scored his first professional goal in the 90th minute of the same match.[3] He also made two appearances for UANL in the 2009 InterLiga.[2]

In the 2009–10 season, Acuña made ten league appearances, scoring two goals.[2] The following year, he played his first full season of professional football, making 27 league appearances and scoring four goals.[2] He also appeared in the second leg of UANL's Clausura Liguilla series against Guadalajara.[4]

In the 2011–12 season, Acuña saw a sharp reduction in playing time, making only seven league appearances and two in the Copa Libertadores, as well as one appearance in the Apertura Liguilla against Pachuca.[2] In the first half of the 2012–13 season, he made two league appearances and two appearances in CONCACAF Champions League before being loaned out until the end of the season.[2]

Loan to San Luis

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On 6 December 2012, Acuña was loaned to San Luis until the end of the season.[5] He made ten league appearances and three in the Copa Mexico for San Luis that year.[2]

Loan to Morelia

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In 2014, he went on loan to Monarcas Morelia, where he made two league appearances and one in the Copa Libertadores that season.[2][6]

Atlético Ottawa

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On 30 March 2020, Acuña signed with Canadian Premier League side Atlético Ottawa.[7] He made his debut in Ottawa's inaugural match on August 15 against York9.[8]

Necaxa

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On 5 January 2021, Acuña returned to Mexico, signing with Liga MX side Necaxa.[9]

Personal life

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Acuña was nicknamed "El Messi" throughout his career, a nickname he would later say generated unrealistic high expectations.[10]

Career statistics

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As of 5 January 2021[2]
Club statistics
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental[b] Other[c] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
UANL Premier 2008–09 Primera División A 8 0 8 0
Tigres UANL 2008–09 Mexican Primera División 9 1 9 1
2009–10 Mexican Primera División 10 2 2 0 2 0 14 2
2010–11 Mexican Primera División 27 4 1 0 28 4
2011–12 Mexican Primera División 7 0 2 0 1 0 10 0
2012–13 Liga MX 2 0 2 0 4 0
Total 55 7 2 0 6 0 2 0 65 7
San Luis (loan) 2012–13 Liga MX 10 0 3 0 13 0
Morelia (loan) 2013–14 Liga MX 2 0 1 0 3 0
Puebla 2014–15 Liga MX 2 1 7 0 9 1
2016–17 Liga MX 15 1 2 0 17 1
2017–18 Liga MX 30 3 4 0 34 3
2018–19 Liga MX 21 1 9 1 30 2
2019–20 Liga MX 3 0 4 0 7 0
Total 71 6 26 1 0 0 0 0 97 7
BUAP (loan) 2015–16 Ascenso MX 15 2 10 4 25 6
2016–17 Ascenso MX 10 1 5 0 15 1
Total 25 3 15 4 0 0 0 0 40 7
Atlético Ottawa 2020 Canadian Premier League 7 2 7 2
Career total 178 18 46 5 7 0 2 0 233 23

Honours

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Tigres UANL

References

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  1. ^ Francisco AcuñaLiga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com (archived) (in Spanish)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "F. Acuña". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Monterrey vs. Tigres UANL - 19 October 2008". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Tigres UANL vs. Guadalajara - 8 May 2011". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Francisco Acuña deja a Tigres y se va a San Luis". mediotiempo.com. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. ^ Francisco Acuña Biografía, Numeritos, Noticias
  7. ^ "Atlético Ottawa Adds Midfielder Francisco Acuña". Atlético Ottawa. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Canadian Premier League". August 15, 2020.
  9. ^ @ClubNecaxa (5 January 2021). "Damos la bienvenida a Francisco Acuña, quien se une a nuestra escuadra de cara al" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "'Messi', apodo que creó falsas expectativas en Francisco Acuña".
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