Xisco Muñoz

Lore & Background

Xisco played 194 matches and scored 20 goals over nine seasons in La Liga, spending four years at Betis, also representing Valencia, Tenerife, Recreativo and Levante and winning the 2004 UEFA Cup with Valencia. Starting in 2011, he played four seasons in Georgia with Dinamo Tbilisi. In 2019, Xisco rejoined Dinamo Tbilisi as part of the technical team, and in 2020 became their head coach. In December 2020, he was appointed at Watford, achieving promotion to the Premier League in his first season but being sacked in October 2021 despite the club sitting 15th.

That same month, he became manager of Huesca, before being replaced in June 2022. He signed for Anorthosis in October that year, but left three months later. In July 2023, he joined Sheffield Wednesday as head coach before being dismissed in October after failing to win any matches in charge.

Playing Career Highlights

Francisco Javier Muñoz Llompart, widely known as Xisco, carved out a distinctive path as a left winger across nine seasons in Spain's top flight. His journey began in the youth ranks of Mallorca before he moved to Valencia, where his most significant European success occurred. Although he often served as a squad player during their 2004 La Liga title campaign and UEFA Cup triumph, he contributed crucially with eight appearances in the latter tournament.

A memorable moment came in November 2003 when he scored a substitute goal in a dominant away victory against his boyhood club, Mallorca. His tenure at Real Betis saw him play a vital role in their survival battles, notably scoring late goals to help avoid relegation in 2007. Later stints with Levante and Tenerife showcased his versatility, though it was his move abroad that truly defined his peak performance years.

International Success in Georgia

At the age of thirty, Xisco embarked on a transformative chapter by joining Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia, where he found new heights as both a player and a leader. During his four seasons with the club starting in 2011, he became an integral part of a squad that included several Spanish compatriots.

His impact was most evident in the 2012–13 campaign, where he netted a career-best twenty-two goals to become the league's top scorer and secure the Erovnuli Liga title. He successfully repeated this feat the following year, with his goal sealing a decisive victory that confirmed their back-to-back championships. This period not only revitalized his playing statistics but also laid the groundwork for his future transition into management within the same organization.

Coaching Rise at Watford

Transitioning from the pitch to the dugout, Xisco's managerial career saw its most dramatic rise and fall during his tenure with Watford. Appointed in December 2020 following Vladimir Ivić's dismissal, he immediately revitalized the team, securing a five-game winning streak that earned him the Championship Manager of the Month award for March 2021.

His leadership culminated in securing promotion to the Premier League with two games remaining after a victory against Millwall. However, his time at Vicarage Road was short-lived; despite the club sitting fifteenth in the table, he was dismissed in October 2021 due to a perceived negative trend and lack of team cohesion. This episode marked him as one of many managers to cycle through the hotseat under owner Gino Pozzo.

Global Managerial Odyssey

Following his departure from Watford, Xisco embarked on a rapid succession of managerial appointments across Europe, reflecting both ambition and instability in his post-playing career. He briefly managed Huesca in Spain before moving to Cyprus to lead Anorthosis, where he left after just three months following a winless run.

In July 2023, he took charge of Sheffield Wednesday, bringing along former Watford staff members including his brother Miguel. Unfortunately, the team suffered their worst-ever start under his guidance, winning only two points from ten matches before his dismissal in October. His career continued with a brief stint at DAC Dunajská Streda in Slovakia, which ended over a year later, illustrating a challenging journey as he sought to establish himself as a head coach on the international stage.

Reader's Guide

Xisco was born in Manacor, Balearic Islands. He began in the youth ranks of local Mallorca, making ten senior appearances for the B team in the Segunda División B in 1998. After two years with Valencia's equivalent, he moved on loan to Recreativo de Huelva of Segunda División, scoring ten goals in his first season.

He then joined Tenerife for 2001–02, before returning (always on loan) to his previous club for the 2002–03 campaign, still in La Liga. Xisco returned to Valencia in summer 2003 for two additional seasons, making 22 appearances as the Che conquered the 2004 league title; he scored once as a substitute on 2 November 2003 to conclude a 5–0 away win against Mallorca. He added eight matches in their victorious run in the UEFA Cup also in that year, but remained on the bench in the final against Marseille. Xisco signed with Real Betis in 2005 on a six-year deal, often delivering in various attacking positions and displaying all-around teamwork.

He netted three times in 2006–07, including a couple of late goals against Racing de Santander and Gimnàstic de Tarragona as the Andalusians only avoided top-flight relegation in the last matchday. In a rocky 2008–09 season, which ended in relegation, Xisco only featured in nine games, scoring once. Dark spots included being replaced after having himself been used as a substitute in a 2–1 home defeat to Málaga, on 11 January 2009.

In the dying minutes of the August 2009 transfer window, Xisco rescinded his Betis contract and joined Levante also in the second division, for two seasons. In his first, he played the most he had in years, also scoring eight goals as the Valencian Community side returned to the top flight after a two-year absence. Xisco contributed 26 matches – 18 starts – in 2010–11, as Levante finally managed to stay afloat. On 22 January 2011, he scored his only goal of the campaign in a 4–1 away loss against Sevilla, and was released in May.

Already aged 30, Xisco moved abroad for the first time, signing with Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia and sharing teams with several compatriots. In 2012–13, he won the Erovnuli Liga and also scored a career-best 22 goals, best in the competition. The player and the team retained their titles a year later, and his goal concluded the 3–0 win at Sioni Bolnisi that confirmed it.

Did You Know?

• He was the Erovnuli Liga top scorer in both 2012–13 and 2013–14, scoring a career-best 22 goals in the first of those seasons.
• Xisco led Watford to promotion to the Premier League in the 2020–21 season, winning the Championship Manager of the Month award for March 2021.
• He is the older brother of footballer Toni Muñoz.