![]() Puñal training with
Osasuna in 2010 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Francisco Puñal Martínez | ||
Date of birth | 6 September 1975 | ||
Place of birth | Huarte, Spain | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
Natación Pamplona [1] | |||
Osasuna | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
1994–1998 | Osasuna B | 32 | (4) |
1994–1995 | → Oberena (loan) | ||
1995–1996 | → Egüés (loan) | ||
1997–2014 | Osasuna | 458 | (23) |
1999–2001 | → Leganés (loan) | 62 | (11) |
Total | 552 | (38) | |
International career | |||
2002–2007 | Basque Country | 3 | (0) |
2003–2004 | Navarre | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Francisco "Patxi" Puñal Martínez (born 6 September 1975) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
The vast bulk of his career was connected with Osasuna, where he was often charged with penalty-taking and for which he appeared in 513 competitive matches. [2] [3] [4]
Born in Huarte, Navarre, [5] Puñal played his entire professional career with CA Osasuna save for two on-loan seasons at Madrid's CD Leganés, in the Segunda División. [6] His first official game for the first team came on 15 June 1997 in a 1–1 away draw against SD Eibar, in the same tier. [7]
Puñal returned to the El Sadar Stadium as an undisputed first choice, scoring his first La Liga goal on 27 October 2001 in a 4–0 home win over RCD Mallorca. [8] In Osasuna's 2005–06 historical league campaign, which brought a best ever fourth-place finish, he netted four times in 34 matches.
On 29 November 2006, as the side went on to reach the last-four in the UEFA Cup, [9] Puñal scored three goals (one in his net) in a 3–1 home defeat of Odense Boldklub in the group stage. [10] He made 47 official appearances that season. [11]
From 2007 to 2010, veteran Puñal continued to figure prominently for Osasuna, featuring in exactly 100 league games – scoring twice through penalties, in a 2–0 win at Getafe CF [12] and a 2–1 home loss to Real Madrid, [13] both goals coming during 2007–08 – and also being the captain after the retirement of César Cruchaga. [14] During that timeframe, he was booked a total of 37 times.
Puñal finished 2012 on a high note, being a father for the first time and having appeared in a total of 470 competitive matches for his main club, a best-ever. He obtained the record after his 464th overall appearance on 21 October, against Real Betis, [15] and on 26 May 2013 he again entered the team's history books, netting from 30 meters and contributing to a 2–1 home victory over Sevilla FC which certified permanence in the top division for another year, with one game remaining. [16]
In 2014, Puñal was awarded the Gold Medal for Sporting Merit, the highest accolade of the kind granted by the Government of Navarre. [17]
Puñal earned caps for both the Basque Country and Navarre autonomous teams. [18] [19]
![]() Puñal training with
Osasuna in 2010 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Francisco Puñal Martínez | ||
Date of birth | 6 September 1975 | ||
Place of birth | Huarte, Spain | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
Natación Pamplona [1] | |||
Osasuna | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
1994–1998 | Osasuna B | 32 | (4) |
1994–1995 | → Oberena (loan) | ||
1995–1996 | → Egüés (loan) | ||
1997–2014 | Osasuna | 458 | (23) |
1999–2001 | → Leganés (loan) | 62 | (11) |
Total | 552 | (38) | |
International career | |||
2002–2007 | Basque Country | 3 | (0) |
2003–2004 | Navarre | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Francisco "Patxi" Puñal Martínez (born 6 September 1975) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
The vast bulk of his career was connected with Osasuna, where he was often charged with penalty-taking and for which he appeared in 513 competitive matches. [2] [3] [4]
Born in Huarte, Navarre, [5] Puñal played his entire professional career with CA Osasuna save for two on-loan seasons at Madrid's CD Leganés, in the Segunda División. [6] His first official game for the first team came on 15 June 1997 in a 1–1 away draw against SD Eibar, in the same tier. [7]
Puñal returned to the El Sadar Stadium as an undisputed first choice, scoring his first La Liga goal on 27 October 2001 in a 4–0 home win over RCD Mallorca. [8] In Osasuna's 2005–06 historical league campaign, which brought a best ever fourth-place finish, he netted four times in 34 matches.
On 29 November 2006, as the side went on to reach the last-four in the UEFA Cup, [9] Puñal scored three goals (one in his net) in a 3–1 home defeat of Odense Boldklub in the group stage. [10] He made 47 official appearances that season. [11]
From 2007 to 2010, veteran Puñal continued to figure prominently for Osasuna, featuring in exactly 100 league games – scoring twice through penalties, in a 2–0 win at Getafe CF [12] and a 2–1 home loss to Real Madrid, [13] both goals coming during 2007–08 – and also being the captain after the retirement of César Cruchaga. [14] During that timeframe, he was booked a total of 37 times.
Puñal finished 2012 on a high note, being a father for the first time and having appeared in a total of 470 competitive matches for his main club, a best-ever. He obtained the record after his 464th overall appearance on 21 October, against Real Betis, [15] and on 26 May 2013 he again entered the team's history books, netting from 30 meters and contributing to a 2–1 home victory over Sevilla FC which certified permanence in the top division for another year, with one game remaining. [16]
In 2014, Puñal was awarded the Gold Medal for Sporting Merit, the highest accolade of the kind granted by the Government of Navarre. [17]
Puñal earned caps for both the Basque Country and Navarre autonomous teams. [18] [19]