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Francisco Calvo

Costa Rican football player (born 1992) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francisco Calvo
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Francisco Javier Calvo Quesada (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ ˈkalβo keˈsaða]; born 8 July 1992) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq and captains the Costa Rica national team.

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Early life

After starting with Deportivo Saprissa as a youth player from 2005 to 2010, Calvo moved to the United States to study at San Jacinto College after getting a scholarship and played football at university level during that period.[3]

Club career

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On his return to Costa Rica in 2011, Calvo played for Herediano before a stint at Pérez Zeledón where he scored 5 goals in 21 matches.[4] In January 2013 he moved abroad to play for then Danish champions Nordsjælland[5] but he returned to Herediano in summer 2013.[6] In January 2015, Calvo joined Santos de Guápiles as a loan.[7]

In late May 2015, Calvo joined Saprissa. In his first season with Saprissa, he appeared in 39 matches and scored five goals. The following season, he continued to be a set-piece threat as he scored 9 goals in 24 matches playing as a defender.

On 27 December 2016, Calvo joined Major League Soccer side Minnesota United FC.[8] In 2018, Calvo was selected as an MLS All-Star, becoming the first Minnesota United player in club history to receive the honor.[citation needed]

On 3 May 2019, Calvo was traded to Chicago Fire.[9] Following the 2021 season, Calvo's contract option was declined by Chicago.[10]

On 26 January 2022, Calvo signed as a free agent with San Jose Earthquakes.[11] On 5 March 2022, Calvo scored two late set piece goals for a ten-man San Jose team to salvage a 3–3 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. This performance led to him being named in the MLS Team of the Week.[12] He then moved to Konyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.

On 15 January 2024, Calvo signed with Juárez in Mexico.[13] On 31 March 2024, he notches his first goal for the club by scoring a header contributing a 2–1 win against Santos Laguna.

On 5 August 2025, Calvo joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.[14]

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International career

On 29 May 2011, Calvo made his debut with the Costa Rica senior team in San José in a friendly game against Nigeria.[15] He was also part of the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Calvo was also a reserve call-up for Costa Rica at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[16] and later impressed senior head coach Ricardo La Volpe to win him a call-up for the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 Copa América. He made his debut in the competition in a game against Colombia, which ended in a 1–0 loss, and played in a 2–0 win against Bolivia.[17] also he played Argentina in a 3–0 loss.

In May 2018, Calvo was named in Costa Rica's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[18] He later reprised the same role at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[19]

On 15 October 2024, he featured in his 100th international match for Costa Rica in a 3–0 victory over Guatemala during the CONCACAF Nations League A.[20]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 May 2025[21]
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  1. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup

International

As of match played 29 June 2025[22]
More information National team, Year ...
  1. Includes a non-FIFA friendly played against Catalonia, which is counted as an official match by the Costa Rican Football Federation.
Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first.[22]
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Honours

CS Herediano

Deportivo Saprissa

Individual

See also

References

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