Iván Franco


Iván René Franco Díaz is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Libertad as an attacking midfielder.

Club career

Born in Ybycuí, Franco joined Libertad's youth setup after being spotted at Football Dreams. Promoted to the main squad for the 2018 season, he made his professional – and Primera División – debut for Libertad on 2 February of that year, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Sportivo Luqueño.
Franco scored his first professional goal on 4 March 2018, netting his team's second in a 4–1 away routing of 3 de Febrero. Nine days later, he made his Copa Libertadores debut by starting in a 2–0 away defeat of Atlético Tucumán. He contributed with five appearances in the latter tournament, as his side were knocked out by eventual runners up Boca Juniors in the round of 16.

International career

On 21 December 2018, Franco was called up by Paraguay under-20s for the 2019 South American U-20 Championship.
On 10 September 2019, Franco made his senior international debut with the Paraguay national team in a 4–2 friendly win away to Jordan.

Style of play

Franco has been praised for the ability and quickness of thought to play as a playmaker in the ‘number 10’ role. He was dubbed as Paraguay's new star by South American football expert Tim Vickery on the BBC’s World Football Phone-In show.

Career statistics