Leo Franco

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Personal information
Leo Franco
Full name	Leonardo Noeren Franco
Date of birth	May 20, 1977 (age 29)
Place of birth	San Nicolás, Argentina
Height	188cm (6'2)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Atlético Madrid
Number	25
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1995-1997 1997-1998 1998-2004 2004-	Independiente Mérida Real Mallorca Atlético Madrid	2 (0) 0 (0) 148 (0) 72 (0)
National team²
2004-	Argentina	4 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 2006. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 30 June 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Leonardo Noeren Franco (born May 29, 1977 in San Nicolás, Argentina), commonly known as Leo Franco is a professional Argentine football goalkeeper who currently plays for Spanish Atlético Madrid.

Franco started his career at Independiente before moving to Spanish Mérida UD. In 1998 he transferred to Real Mallorca, where he would later become a regular starter for the club, and win the 2003 Copa del Rey. He was signed by Atlético Madrid in 2004.

With the Argentine national youth team, Leo Franco won the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. On May 6, 2006 he was named as a definite squad member for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by coach José Pekerman.

Franco replaced an injured Roberto Abbondanzieri in Argentina's quarter-final clash with Germany during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Many view this sudden replacement as a key factor in Argentina's loss to Germany during the deciding penalty shootout, as Leo Franco failed to save a single shot. Franco had otherwise had good performances stopping pentalties in the Spanish Liga that year, saving two on March 23 in a match against Sevilla, and two more on December 3 in a match against Valencia [1].

Atlético Madrid - Current Squad
1 Cuéllar \| 2 Seitaridis \| 3 Antonio López \| 4 Pernía \| 5 Luccin \| 6 Costinha \| 7 Galletti \| 8 Gabi \| 9 Torres \| 10 Agüero \| 11 Maxi \| 12 Fabiano Eller \| 13 Falcón \| 14 Zé Castro \| 15 Jurado \| 17 Petrov \| 18 Valera \| 19 Miguel \| 20 Maniche \| 21 Perea \| 22 Pablo \| 23 Mista \| 25 Franco \| 28 Marqués \| 29 Azcárate \| 45 Víctor Bravo \| 46 Pollo \| Coach Aguirre

	Argentina squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finalists
1 Abbondanzieri \| 2 Ayala \| 3 Sorín \| 4 Coloccini \| 5 Cambiasso \| 6 Heinze \| 7 Saviola \| 8 Mascherano \| 9 Crespo \| 10 Riquelme \| 11 Tévez \| 12 Franco \| 13 Scaloni \| 14 Palacio \| 15 Milito \| 16 Aimar \| 17 Cufré \| 18 Rodríguez \| 19 Messi \| 20 Cruz \| 21 Burdisso \| 22 González \| 23 Ustari \| Coach: Pekerman