Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo
Defender · Santos Laguna · №21
Recent matches
| Date | Match | Score |
|---|---|---|
Santos Laguna
Tigres UANL
Liga MX
|
0:0 | |
Santos Laguna
Guadalajara Chivas
Liga MX
|
0:1 | |
Chicago Fire
Santos Laguna
Leagues Cup
|
3:1 | |
New York City FC
Santos Laguna
Leagues Cup
|
2:0 | |
Club América
Santos Laguna
Liga MX
|
3:0 | |
Santos Laguna
Atlas
Liga MX
|
0:1 | |
Monterrey
Santos Laguna
Liga MX
|
3:2 | |
Pachuca
Santos Laguna
Liga MX
|
4:2 | |
|
Santos Laguna
Club América
Liga MX
|
1:1 | |
Santos Laguna
Puebla
Liga MX
|
2:1 |
Season statistics
| Competition | Season | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Liga MX | 2025 | 9 |
| Liga MX | 2026 | 5 |
| Leagues Cup | 2026 | 2 |
About the player
Fran Villalba arrived at Santos Laguna in July 2024, having come through the ranks. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Cabanal", he began at Valencia's academy, Mestalla, before making it into the Valencia first team and then spending a loan year at Numancia.
In 2019 he moved to England, joining Birmingham City, where he stayed for three seasons interspersed with loan spells at Almería and Sporting Gijón. He returned to Sporting on a permanent deal in 2022, adding a further loan at Málaga along the way, before leaving Spanish football altogether for Mexico.
His debut for Santos Laguna came on 13 July 2024. He did not have to wait long to win a trophy with the club: Santos Laguna were crowned Liga MX champions, beating Toluca in the final, giving Villalba a title in his first season in Mexican football.
He represented Spain at various youth levels, from the under-16s up to the under-19s, though a senior international call-up never followed.
