Francis (footballer, born 1981)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pérez and the second or maternal family name is Malia.

Francis

Francis (right) playing with Xerez in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Francisco Jesús Pérez Malia
Date of birth	(1981-12-17) 17 December 1981
Place of birth	Barbate, Spain
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Right-back, midfielder
Youth career
	Barbate
	Xerez
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2010	Xerez	212	(2)
2000	→ Getafe (loan)	2	(0)
2001–2002	→ San Fernando (loan)	36	(3)
2002–2003	→ Écija (loan)	31	(4)
2010–2016	Racing Santander	144	(0)
Total		425	(9)
Managerial career
2019–2022	Xerez Deportivo B
2022–2023	Xerez Deportivo
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco Jesús Pérez Malia (born 17 December 1981), commonly known as Francis, is a Spanish former footballer who played mainly as a right-back, currently a manager.

During his 17-year professional career he played mainly with Xerez and Racing de Santander, appearing in 222 competitive games with the former. He amassed Segunda División totals of 219 matches and one goal over nine seasons, and competed in La Liga with both clubs.

Club career

Born in Barbate, Province of Cádiz, Francis began his senior career with local Xerez CD. After two consecutive loans with Segunda División B clubs, including Getafe CF, he returned to his alma mater and made his professional debut in 2003–04's Segunda División, scoring once in 26 games. He went on to become an important first-team member, with the Andalusians achieving a first-ever La Liga promotion in the 2008–09 season.

Francis spent most of the short-lived top-flight campaign as a right-back. On 8 May 2010, as Xerez still harboured chances of staying up, he netted his only goal of the season, in a 3–2 home win against Real Zaragoza. Later that month, his contract expired and he signed a four-year deal with Racing de Santander.

External links

• Francis at BDFutbol
• Francis at Futbolme (in Spanish)
• Francis at Soccerway