Xisco Muñoz

Xisco Muñoz
Francisco Javier Muñoz Llompart (born 5 September 1980), known as Xisco, is a Spanish football manager and former player who played mainly as a left winger.
He 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
Valencia
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.
Betis
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.
Levante and later years
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.
On 14 December 2014, Xisco returned to his homeland after agreeing to an 18-month deal with third-tier Gimnàstic de Tarragona. On 18 June 2016, he announced his retirement and became Vicente Moreno's assistant. In September of the following year, he stood in as manager of farm team Pobla de Mafumet in the Tercera División, after the promotion of Rodri to the Nàstic job.
Coaching career
Dinamo Tbilisi
Xisco returned to Dinamo Tbilisi in January 2019, as part of Zaur Svanadze's staff. He left at the end of the year, after the team had recovered their league crown following a three-year absence.
In August 2020, Xisco again returned to Dinamo, now as head coach of the club. With several compatriots on the pitch and the bench, they won the league in December.
Watford
Xisco was appointed as manager of Watford on 21 December 2020, after the dismissal of Vladimir Ivić. His debut in the EFL Championship was five days later, a 1–0 home victory over leaders Norwich City.
After a run of five straight wins, Xisco was awarded the Championship Manager of the Month award for March 2021. On 24 April, his team achieved promotion to the Premier League with two games remaining, after a 1–0 win against Millwall at Vicarage Road.
Xisco was sacked on 3 October 2021, despite the side being 15th after seven matches; it was the 13th change in the club's hotseat since the arrival of owner Gino Pozzo in 2012. In an official statement, Watford wrote that the coach had been presiding over a "negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving".
Huesca
On 26 October 2021, Xisco signed as coach of Huesca. Having finished in 13th in his only season with nine wins out of 30, he was replaced in June by José Ángel Ziganda.
Anorthosis
On 4 October 2022, Xisco was appointed manager of Cypriot First Division club Anorthosis until the end of the season. Three months later, after a series of five winless games, he was replaced by Vesko Mihajlović.
Sheffield Wednesday
On 4 July 2023, Xisco joined Sheffield Wednesday as head coach; he brought in his brother Miguel as assistant, Roberto Cuesta as first-team coach and Antonello Brambilla as goalkeeper coach, all of who he worked with at Watford. His first competitive game in charge was at home to newly relegated Southampton, a 2–1 defeat. Following a 1–0 away loss to West Bromwich Albion on 3 October, he led the Owls to their worst ever start to a season with just two points from the first ten matches. A day later, he was dismissed.
Personal life
Xisco is the older brother of another footballer, Toni Muñoz. He appeared once for Mallorca's first team, but spent the vast majority of his career in the lower leagues of his country.
Career statistics
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Valencia
La Liga: 2003–04
UEFA Cup: 2003–04
UEFA Super Cup: 2004
Dinamo Tbilisi
Erovnuli Liga: 2012–13, 2013–14
Georgian Cup: 2012–13, 2013–14
Georgian Super Cup: 2014
Individual
Erovnuli Liga top scorer: 2012–13, 2013–14
Erovnuli Liga Player of the Year: 2013–14
Manager
Dinamo Tbilisi
Erovnuli Liga: 2020
Watford
EFL Championship runner-up: 2020–21
Individual
EFL Championship Manager of the Month: March 2021
References
External links
1980 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Manacor
Spanish men's footballers
Footballers from Mallorca
Men's association football wingers
La Liga players
Segunda División players
Segunda División B players
RCD Mallorca B players
Valencia CF Mestalla footballers
Valencia CF players
Recreativo de Huelva players
CD Tenerife players
Real Betis players
Levante UD footballers
Gimnàstic de Tarragona footballers
Erovnuli Liga players
FC Dinamo Tbilisi players
UEFA Cup winning players
Spain men's youth international footballers
Spain men's under-21 international footballers
Spanish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Georgia (country)
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Georgia (country)
Spanish football managers
Segunda División managers
Tercera División managers
CF Pobla de Mafumet managers
SD Huesca managers
Erovnuli Liga managers
FC Dinamo Tbilisi managers
Premier League managers
English Football League managers
Watford F.C. managers
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. managers
Cypriot First Division managers
Anorthosis Famagusta FC managers
Expatriate football managers in Georgia (country)
Expatriate football managers in England
Expatriate football managers in Cyprus
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus