Francisco Lesmes


Francisco Lesmes Bobed was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender.

Club career

After starting his professional career with Granada CF, Lesmes moved to La Liga and Real Valladolid in 1948, going on to play the remainder of his career with the Castile and León side. Eleven of his twelve seasons were spent in the top flight.
Lesmes retired in 1961 at the age of 37, appearing in 316 official games with his main club and scoring three goals. As he was still part of the squad in the 1960–61 season he started working as a manager with the team, being in charge during seven games as the campaign ended in top level relegation.
Lesmes also coached Valladolid in 1963–64, meeting the same fate. He was in charge of the Estadio Nuevo José Zorrilla stadium's maintenance from 1988–96.

International career

On 6 January 1954, Lesmes earned his first and only cap with the Spain national team, in a 4–1 home win against Turkey for the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Personal life

Lesmes' younger brother, Rafael, was also a footballer and a defender. Often referred to as Lesmes II as he played in Valladolid with his sibling for four seasons, he represented mainly Real Madrid, and played with Spain twice.

Death

Francisco, also known as Paco during his playing days, died on 11 August 2005 at the age of 81.