Francisco José Carrasco

Francisco José Carrasco Hidalgo, Carrasco (born March 6, 1959 in Alcoy), is a former Spanish footballer, who played as a winger. He is currently a coach.

Carrasco was a product of the FC Barcelona youth system and quickly made a name for himself in Spain and Europe, with a brilliant display of creative dribbling. Having debuted with the first team during 1978-79, he also shone in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1978-79 final thriller that the Catalonians won against German side Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-3, in extra-time.

After 262 ligue matches with 49 goals, winning the 1984-85 league title, Carrasco spent three seasons with "Ligue 1" side FC Sochaux, retiring after a small stint with modest UE Figueres.

Having first appeared for Spain in an April 4, 1979 2-2 away friendly with Romania, Carrasco went on to gain 35 caps with 5 goals, while being selected for Euro 1980 and 1984 (where he played all 5 matches for the runner-up, scoring from the spot against Romania in another tie, 1-1) and the 1986 FIFA World Cup (although he did not leave the bench).

Subsequently, Carrasco became a manager. In 2005-06, he finished the season with Málaga B, with the Andalusia team eventually being relegated. In 2007-08, he managed lowly Real Oviedo.

External links

* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=4233 Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional] es icon
* [http://futbol.sportec.es/seleccion/ficha_jugador.asp?j=111&n=carrasco/francisco/jose/carrasco/hidalgo National team data] es icon