Francisco Calvo

Francisco Calvo came through the youth system at Saprissa and made his senior breakthrough there before moving abroad, a path that took him through Denmark with Nordsjælland and, later, into Major League Soccer. His longest single spell in the United States came at Minnesota United, followed by three seasons at Chicago Fire and a year at San Jose Earthquakes, giving him more than half a decade of continuous MLS football as a centre-back.

He then shifted to Turkey, first with Konyaspor and later with Hatayspor, interrupted by a short spell at Mexican side FC Juárez. That run of moves across three countries in three years reflects a career built on adaptability rather than long settled spells at any one club. Al-Ettifaq is his most recent stop, arriving after Hatayspor.

For Costa Rica, Calvo has been a fixture for well over a decade, having made his international debut against Nigeria back in 2011. He has gone on to win more than a hundred caps, a tally that places him among the more experienced defenders to have represented the national team, with a handful of goals scored along the way from a defensive position.