Sansón (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Bao Rodríguez | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Vigo, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 13 February 2012 (aged 87) | ||
| Place of death | Vigo, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vigués | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1939–1941 | Celta | 6 | (0) |
| 1941–1943 | Cultural Leonesa | 14 | (0) |
| 1943–1945 | Sporting Gijón | 22 | (8) |
| 1945–1950 | Oviedo | 115 | (1) |
| 1950–1955 | Celta | 40 | (0) |
| 1955–1956 | Xerez | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 200 | (9) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco Bao Rodríguez (20 April 1924 – 13 February 2012), known as Sansón, was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender.
He was the youngest ever player to appear in a La Liga game, when he played for Celta in 1939.[1]
Career
[edit]Born in Vigo, Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Sansón joined local RC Celta de Vigo in 1939. aged 15. On 31 December of that year, he made his La Liga debut in a 4–1 away win against Sevilla FC, one of just six league appearances he would make for the club over two seasons, after which he was deemed surplus to requirements due to his age.[2] In doing so at the age of 15 years and 255 days old, he became the youngest ever player to appear in a La Liga match, a record that he held for over 80 years, until it was finally broken by RCD Mallorca's Luka Romero in June 2020, at the age of 15 years and 219 days.[3] As of April 2025, he remains the fourth-youngest goalscorer in the Top 5 European leagues, only behind Kalman Gerencseri, Romero, and Ethan Nwaneri.[4]
In 1943, after two years with Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, Sansón returned to the top division with Sporting de Gijón, although he was again only a reserve at that level. Subsequently, he developed into an important player with Asturias neighbours Real Oviedo – also in the latter tier – playing an average of 23 matches during his stint, which included two top-five finishes.
Sansón returned to Celta for the 1950–51 season, where he was utilised as a defender, midfielder and forward,[2] but he was again almost exclusively a backup (20 games in his third year, a total of only 20 in the other four). After rejecting a new five-year contract for 500.000 pesetas,[2] he retired in 1956 after a spell with Xerez CD, with top-flight totals of 167 matches and one goal.
References
[edit]- ^ Álvarez, Armando (14 February 2012). "Sansón, nadie antes que él" [Sansón, no one before him]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Sansón" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Luka Romero breaks LaLiga record for youngest debutant at 15 years and 219 days old". Marca. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "The youngest players in Premier League, Europe, MLS, more". ESPN. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
External links
[edit]- Sansón at BDFutbol