33·Legends
‹ Chile's 33
Chile · 1973–2020

Francisco Valdés

Icon CM, also CDM, CAM Right-footed box-to-box
Rating
87
Caps
52
Goals
9
Life
1943–2009
Clubs
Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo, Unión Española, Cobreloa
#10
Editorial rank of 33 for Chile
–
The people's rank, live from duel votes

On 21 November 1973 he kicked off against nobody at the Estadio Nacional, walked the ball upfield with his team-mates and rolled it into an empty net, the Soviet Union having refused to play there. Colo-Colo reached the 1973 Copa Libertadores final with him running the midfield, the first final for a Chilean club, and he left the game with two Chilean championships, a Copa Chile and 215 league goals, the most in Chilean history until 2020. Career record: 52 caps and 9 goals for Chile; club career at Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo, Unión Española, Cobreloa.

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Career record

1961–1969Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo
1970–1970Unión Española
1971–1971Club Deportes Antofagasta
1972–1975Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo
1976–1976Santiago Wanderers
1977–1977Cobreloa
1978–1978Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo
1979–1981San Marcos de Arica
Chile52 caps, 9 goals

Shared the era

Chile legends whose careers overlapped Valdés's

The world's great CMs

Around Valdés in the almanac

One rank above: Charles Aránguiz at #9.

One rank below: Gary Medel at #11.

Chile's editorial top five: Elías Figueroa · Alexis Sánchez · Iván Zamorano · Arturo Vidal · Claudio Bravo.