Luis de la Fuente don call Betis left-back Fran García join Spain team after Grimaldo feel injury for warm-up before Croatia match. Na more than 1,000 days since Fran last wear La Roja shirt, 1,081 days exactly. Im last match na October 2023, when e play full 90 minutes for 0-1 win over Norway.
Fran García come from Bolaños de Calatrava, small town inside Ciudad Real province. E live there until age 13 before e move go Madrid to join Valdebebas. The town get small more than 12,000 people and e dey inside Campo de Calatrava, one volcanic area.
Bolaños de Calatrava get one popular talk: ‘Los de Bolaños: bajitos, fuertes y engaños’. The talk mean say people from the town short, strong and full of deceit, but na local tradition. Fran García match that picture well: e no too tall at 1.69 metres, but e strong like wardrobe. Speed and endurance na part of im game as left-back. People wey know am call him obsessed with physical preparation, and sometimes dem dey force am to stop and rest.
One big attraction for Bolaños de Calatrava na Doña Berenguela castle, fortress wey get Muslim origin. Dem build am between 11th and 12th century. After Christian conquest, castle link to Doña Berenguela de Castilla, and for 1229 she donate am to Order of Calatrava. Later e become seat of Encomienda de Bolaños. The fortress still get square plan, walls, towers and moat. Dem declare am Bien de Interés Cultural for 1982.
Bolaños de Calatrava dey inside Campo de Calatrava, one of the most special volcanic zones for Iberian peninsula. Around the town, traces of volcanic past still dey, like maar de la Hoya de Bolaños and volcán de Las Herrerías. The volcanic landscape join the historical heritage, and e give people another reason to visit this part of Ciudad Real and Castilla-La Mancha beyond Fran García.
Fran García leave Bolaños de Calatrava for 2013 go Real Madrid cantera. E climb ladder reach first team debut for 2018 in Copa del Rey match, where e even give assist to Isco. After time with Rayo Vallecano, im return to Valdebebas bring one La Liga, one Champions League and two Supercopas. For Madrid, e compete with Mendy, and later with Carreras. Betis pay the four million euros wey Madrid ask, and now e dey start under Pellegrini. For the league, e don play 490 minutes and start five of seven matches.
De la Fuente and Fran García don dey together since youth levels. Fran play Sub-18 for February 2017, Sub-19 one month later, Sub-21 for October 2020, and senior call come for June 2023 for Nations Final Four when e dey Rayo Vallecano. Im senior debut land for October 2023. De la Fuente talk say na good news say Fran don play again, and say dem get plenty confidence inside am. Fran be distant cousin of Koke, the Atlético de Madrid midfielder. Even though e don live far from im village for years, e still keep im manchego accent and e go back to Bolaños de Calatrava every summer.
Tonight Spain face Czech Republic for Oviedo. If Spain win, and depending on wetin happen for Croatia against England for match wey go play behind closed doors, Spain go practically qualify for quarter-final. Fran García na one of the new faces for the team. But as long as Cucurella and Grimaldo dey available, the door still tight for him. Still, De la Fuente see am as player wey sabi exactly wetin him want from left-back, and e be good person.
