Javier de Pedro

Football player infobox|
playername = Javi de Pedro
fullname = Francisco Javier de Pedro Falque
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1973|8|4
cityofbirth = Logroño, La Rioja
countryofbirth = Spain
height = Height|m=1.80
nickname =
currentclub = Retired
clubnumber =
position = Left midfielder
youthyears = ?-1992
1992-1993
youthclubs = Antiguoko
Real Sociedad B
years = 1993-2004
2004
2005
2005-2006
2006
2006-2007
2007
clubs = Real Sociedad
Blackburn Rovers
AC Perugia
IFK Göteborg
PAE Ergotelis
Burgos CF
CD Vera
caps(goals) = 304 (45) 2 (0)
nationalyears = 1998-2003
nationalteam = flagicon|ESP Spain
nationalcaps(goals) = 12 (2)
pcupdate = December 31, 2007
ntupdate = December 31, 2007

Javi de Pedro, fullname Francisco Javier de Pedro Falque (born August 4, 1973 in Logroño), is a former Spanish footballer. He played mainly with Real Sociedad, and possessed a thunderous left-foot shot.

Club career

A product of Real Sociedad's youth system, De Pedro first appeared with the Basque main squad on November 7, 1993, subbing in in a 1-3 home defeat against UE Lleida. Subsequently, he became an essential element with the side, creating opportunities and scoring alike.

De Pedro joined Blackburn Rovers F.C. on July 1, 2004, after he had been refused a move to Southampton F.C. the previous year, playing out undetermined the remaining season of his contract. He made his debut for the club on August 14, 2004, a 1-1 home draw against West Bromwich Albion, before being substituted by Tugay Kerimoğlu for the second half of the match.

On January 31, 2005, De Pedro was released on a free transfer and signed for AC Perugia, where he played only a few matches before joining Swedish club IFK Göteborg, which he left after only a few days due to personal reasons in December 2005.

Afterwards, De Pedro would only play some exhibition matches with second tier side PAE Ergotelis, in Greece. He would return to Spain to play with modest Burgos CF.

In 2007-08, he started the season, alongside former teammate (in both R.Sociedad and country) Agustín Aranzábal, with regional side CD Vera in Tenerife, but was dismissed by the team's coach, due to a lack of commitment. De Pedro retired from football after this experience, and subsequently focused on getting the trainer degree.

International career

De Pedro played for Spain in the 2002 World Cup, appearing in all the matches as a starter, and his last cap came in 2003 (having debuted on September 23, 1998, in a friendly match against Russia in Granada).

External links

* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=5951 Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional] es icon
* [http://futbol.sportec.es/seleccion/ficha_jugador.asp?j=165&n=de/pedro/francisco/javier/de/pedro/falque National team data] es icon