| Iván Franco | |
| Fullname: | Iván René Franco Díaz |
| Birth Date: | 16 April 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Ybycuí, Paraguay |
| Height: | 1.65m |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Libertad |
| Clubnumber: | 10 |
| Youthclubs1: | Libertad |
| Years1: | 2018– |
| Clubs1: | Libertad |
| Caps1: | 147 |
| Goals1: | 23 |
| Years2: | 2023 |
| Clubs2: | → Houston Dynamo (loan) |
| Caps2: | 26 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Paraguay U20 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019– |
| Nationalteam2: | Paraguay |
| Nationalcaps2: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 07:09, 29 May 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 10 September 2019 |
Iván René Franco Díaz (born 16 April 2000) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Libertad, as an attacking midfielder.
Born in Ybycuí, Franco joined Libertad's youth setup after being spotted at Football Dreams.[1] Promoted to the main squad for the 2018 season, he made his professional – and Primera División – debut for Libertad on 2 February of that year, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Sportivo Luqueño.[2] Franco scored his first professional goal on 4 March, netting his team's second in a 4–1 away routing of 3 de Febrero.[3] Nine days later, he made his Copa Libertadores debut by starting in a 2–0 away win against Atlético Tucumán.[4] On November 4 Franco scored in the 90+1st minute to give Gumarelo a 2–1 win vs Club Nacional. Franco finished the season with 33 appearances and 7 goals across the Primera División Apertura and Clausura seasons, with Libertad finishing 3rd in both.[5] He contributed with five appearances in Copa Libertadores, as his side were knocked out by eventual runners up Boca Juniors in the round of 16.[6] [7] Franco also made an appearance in the first ever edition of the Copa Paraguay.[8]
On 9 March 2019, Franco scored his first and second goals of the 2019 season, giving Libertad a 2–2 draw with Sportivo Luqueño.[9] On 19 October, he scored a minute into stoppage time to rescue a 1–0 win over Sol de América. Franco ended the Primera División season with 11 goals and 5 assists in 37 appearances across both halves, with Libertad finishing 3rd in the Apertura and 2nd in the Clausura.[10] He helped Gumarelo win the 2019 Copa Paraguay, making 4 appearances and scoring 3 goals during the tournament.[11] [12] [13] [14]
Franco scored his first goal of the 2020 season on 7 March, helping Libertad to a 5–1 win over Club General Díaz.[15] Three days later he scored his first career Copa Libertadores goal to give Libertad a 3–2 win against Caracas. On 18 March 2020, Franco signed a contract extension with Libertad until 2025.[16] He ended the season with 1 goals and 1 assist in 22 Primera División appearances (including an appearance in the Clausura playoffs), plus 3 appearances and 1 goal in Copa Libertadores.
Franco helped Libertad to the 2021 Apertura title, making 10 appearances and recording an assist.[17] [18] They were unable to repeat as champs in the Clausura season, finishing 4th with Franco scoring once in 9 games. He made 4 appearances and had 2 assists in Copa Libertadores, as well as 9 appearances and an assist in Copa Sudamericana, helping Libertad reach the semifinals where they lost 5–1 on aggregate to Red Bull Bragantino. On 14 November, Franco injured his knee in a Copa Paraguay match vs Olimpia, ending his season.[19]
After 2 arthroscopic surgeries to repair his meniscus, Franco made his return to the pitch on 30 April 2022, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win vs General Caballero JLM.[20] Franco had 8 appearances and 2 assists in the Apertura, helping Libertad win the title.[21] He finished the Clausura with 2 assists in 14 games as Libertad finished 4th. Franco also made 4 appearances and had an assist in Copa Libertadores and played twice in Copa Paraguay.[22] [23] Following the 2022 season, Franco asked the club for a transfer, hoping a change in scenery would help him find his form.[24]
On 7 January 2023, it was announced that Franco would join Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo on loan for their 2023 season.[25] He made his Dynamo debut on 25 February, getting the start in a 2–1 loss to FC CIncinnati in the opening match of the season.[26]
On 21 December 2018, Franco was called up by Paraguay under-20s for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship.[27]
On 10 September 2019, Franco made his senior international debut with the Paraguay national team in a 4–2 friendly win away to Jordan.
Franco has been praised for the ability and quickness of thought to play as a playmaker in the ‘number 10’ role.[28]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Libertad | 2018 | Primera División | 34 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 40 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 37 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 44 | 14 | ||||
| 2020 | 22 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 25 | 2 | |||||
| 2021 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | — | 35 | 3 | ||||
| 2022 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 134 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 26 | |||
| Houston Dynamo (loan) | 2023 | MLS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 135 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173 | 26 | |||
Libertad