Francisco Avilán Cruz (27 August 1947 – 5 February 2021) was a Mexican footballer and football manager.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Avilán Cruz[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1947-08-27)27 August 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Monterrey, Mexico | ||
| Date of death | 5 February 2021(2021-02-05) (aged 73) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1958–1964 | Monterrey | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1964–1970 | Monterrey | ||
| 1970–1971 | Atlas | ||
| 1971–1972 | Monterrey | ||
| 1972–1974 | Guadalajara | ||
| National team | |||
| 1971–1972 | Mexico | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1984–1987 | Monterrey | ||
| 1988 | Mexico U20 | ||
| 1992–1994 | Tigres | ||
| 1997–1998 | Vida | ||
| Saltillo Soccer | |||
| Irapuato | |||
| 2008 | Jaguares de Chiapas (interim) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Avilán's father was an amateur footballer and his brother, Arnulfo, played for Monterrey.[2] His other brother, Pedro, played in the Mexican second division.[2]
He followed in the footsteps of his brother Arnulfo when he joined Monterrey in 1958.[2]
Avilán was handed his first team debut by Uruguayan manager Roberto Scarone in 1964 against Club Deportivo Nacional, helping Monterrey to a 2–0 win.[2] He remained with Monterrey until 1970, when he had a short stint with Atlas, before returning to Monterrey.[2] He signed with Guadalajara before retiring in 1974.[2]
He was called up to the Mexico national football team on several occasions, making two appearances between 1971 and 1972.[3] In doing so, he became the first Monterrey player to represent Mexico.[2]
Avilán returned to Monterrey at the end of the 1970s, initially managing the youth sector, which included future Mexican internationals Francisco Javier Cruz, Héctor Becerra and Missael Espinoza.[2]
After studying football management in Yugoslavia, Avilán was named manager of Monterrey in 1984.[2] With signings such as Guillermo Muñoz, he led Monterrey to the México 86 title, the first in the club's history.[2]
While serving as manager of the Mexico national under-20 football team, it was found Mexico had knowingly fielded four overage players at the 1988 CONCACAF U-20 Tournament. The scandal, known as Cachirules, saw several Mexican officials banned from football for life; however, Avilán himself received no sanction, and said that if he had known these players were overaged, he would not have selected them.[4][5]
Avilán returned to management in 2008, when he was named manager of Jaguares de Chiapas on an interim basis.[4]
Avilán died in February 2021, following a bout of COVID-19.[4][6][7]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 1971 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Jaguares de Chiapas | 2008 | 2008 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 037.5 |
| Total | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 037.5 | ||
Chiapas F.C. – managers | |
|---|---|
|
Liga MX winning managers | |
|---|---|
| Long tournaments |
|
| Short tournaments |
|