Francisco Calvo

Francisco Calvo
Calvo with Minnesota United in 2019
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier Calvo Quesada[1]
Date of birth (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992
Place of birth San José, Costa Rica
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Nacional
Number 5
Youth career
2005–2010 Saprissa
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 San Jacinto Coyotes 14 (5)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Herediano 23 (1)
2012 Pérez Zeledón 21 (5)
2013 Nordsjælland 3 (0)
2013–2015 Herediano 49 (6)
2015 → Santos de Guápiles (loan) 21 (5)
2015–2016 Saprissa 63 (14)
2017–2019 Minnesota United 60 (5)
2019–2021 Chicago Fire 62 (5)
2022 San Jose Earthquakes 13 (2)
2022–2023 Konyaspor 48 (3)
2024 Juárez 17 (1)
2024–2025 Hatayspor 25 (1)
2025–2026 Al-Ettifaq 30 (4)
2026– Nacional 1 (0)
International career‡
2011 Costa Rica U20 4 (1)
2011– Costa Rica 115 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:47, 18 November 2025 (UTC)

Francisco Javier Calvo Quesada (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ ˈkalβo keˈsaða]; born 8 July 1992) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Nacional the Costa Rica national team.

Early life

After starting with Deportivo Saprissa as a youth player from 2005 to 2010, Calvo moved to the United States to study at San Jacinto College after getting a scholarship and played football at university level during that period.[3]

Club career

On his return to Costa Rica in 2011, Calvo played for Herediano before a stint at Pérez Zeledón where he scored 5 goals in 21 matches.[4] In January 2013 he moved abroad to play for then Danish champions Nordsjælland[5] but he returned to Herediano in summer 2013.[6] In January 2015, Calvo joined Santos de Guápiles as a loan.[7]

In late May 2015, Calvo joined Saprissa. In his first season with Saprissa, he appeared in 39 matches and scored five goals. The following season, he continued to be a set-piece threat as he scored 9 goals in 24 matches playing as a defender.

On 27 December 2016, Calvo joined Major League Soccer side Minnesota United FC.[8] In 2018, Calvo was selected as an MLS All-Star, becoming the first Minnesota United player in club history to receive the honor.

On 3 May 2019, Calvo was traded to Chicago Fire.[9] Following the 2021 season, Calvo's contract option was declined by Chicago.[10]

On 26 January 2022, Calvo signed as a free agent with San Jose Earthquakes.[11] On 5 March 2022, Calvo scored two late set piece goals for a ten-man San Jose team to salvage a 3–3 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. This performance led to him being named in the MLS Team of the Week.[12] He then moved to Konyaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.

On 15 January 2024, Calvo signed with Juárez in Mexico.[13] On 31 March 2024, he notches his first goal for the club by scoring a header contributing a 2–1 win against Santos Laguna.

On 5 August 2025, Calvo joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.[14]

In July 2026, Calvo joined Uruguayan club Nacional.[15] His debut game came on 11 July 2026 versus Danubio.

International career

On 29 May 2011, Calvo made his debut with the Costa Rica senior team in San José in a friendly game against Nigeria.[16] He was also part of the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Calvo was also a reserve call-up for Costa Rica at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[17] and later impressed senior head coach Ricardo La Volpe to win him a call-up for the Costa Rica squad at the 2011 Copa América. He made his debut in the competition in a game against Colombia, which ended in a 1–0 loss, and played in a 2–0 win against Bolivia.[18] also he played Argentina in a 3–0 loss.

In May 2018, Calvo was named in Costa Rica's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[19] He later reprised the same role at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[20]

On 15 October 2024, he featured in his 100th international match for Costa Rica in a 3–0 victory over Guatemala during the CONCACAF Nations League A.[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 14 May 2026[22]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Herediano 2011–12 Costa Rican Primera División 231—3[a]0—261
Pérez Zeledón 2012–13 Costa Rican Primera División 215———215
Nordsjælland 2012–13 Danish Superliga 3000——30
Herediano 2013–14 Liga FPD 293—1[a]0—303
2014–15 Liga FPD 203—4[a]1—244
Total 7270081—808
Santos (loan) 2014–15 Liga FPD 215———215
Saprissa 2015–16 Liga FPD 395—4[a]0—435
2016–17 Liga FPD 249004[a]1—2810
Total 63140081—7115
Minnesota United 2017 Major League Soccer 27200——272
2018 Major League Soccer 26200——262
2019 Major League Soccer 71———71
Total 60500——605
Chicago Fire 2019 Major League Soccer 23300—1[b]0243
2020 Major League Soccer 221———221
2021 Major League Soccer 171———171
Total 45400—10464
San Jose Earthquakes 2022 Major League Soccer 13220——152
Konyaspor 2022–23 Süper Lig 313204[c]0—373
2023–24 Süper Lig 17010——180
Total 4833040—553
Juárez 2023–24 Liga MX 14100——141
2024–25 Liga MX 3000——30
Total 17100——171
Hatayspor 2024–25 Süper Lig 25110——261
Al-Ettifaq 2025–26 Saudi Pro League 30410——314
Career total 41851702021044653
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in Leagues Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 18 November 2025[23]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Costa Rica 201130
201200
201300
201400
201580
201660
2017163
2018111
201962
202010
2021161
2022101
2023113
2024143
202513[a]2
Total11516
  1. ↑ Includes a non-FIFA friendly played against Catalonia, which is counted as an official match by the Costa Rican Football Federation.
Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first.[23]
List of international goals scored by Francisco Calvo
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 20 January 2017Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama Honduras1–11–12017 Copa Centroamericana
2 13 June 2017Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Trinidad and Tobago1–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 11 July 2017BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States Canada1–11–12017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
4 3 June 2018Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Northern Ireland3–03–0Friendly
5 14 November 2019Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao Curaçao2–12–12019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
6 17 November 2019Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica Haiti1–01–1
7 6 June 2021Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, United States Honduras2–22–22021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals
8 5 June 2022Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Martinique2–02–02022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A
9 4 July 2023Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States Martinique2–16–42023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
10 8 September 2023St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England Saudi Arabia1–03–1Friendly
11 20 November 2023Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama Panama1–31–32023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A
12 2 July 2024Q2 Stadium, Austin, United States Paraguay1–02–12024 Copa América
13 5 September 2024Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Guadeloupe1–03–02024–25 CONCACAF Nations League A
14 15 October 2024 Guatemala3–03–0
15 29 June 2025U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, United States United States1–02–2
(3–4 p)		2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
16 14 October 2025Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica Nicaragua4–14–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Last updated 29 June 2025

Honours

Individual

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Costa Rica (CRC)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 7. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Francisco Calvo se abre su camino". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. ↑ "Francisco Calvo statistics". Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Francisco Calvo firmó con el campeón danés". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Francisco Calvo está cerca de regresar al Herediano". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Francisco Calvo firmó con Saprissa a partir del Invierno 2015". Lanacion.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "MNUFC Signs Dynamic Defender Francisco Calvo". Minnesota United FC. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Minnesota United trades Francisco Calvo to Chicago for cash". Star Tribune. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  10. ↑ "Chicago Fire FC Announce 2021 Roster Decisions | Chicago Fire FC". Chicagofirefc.com.
  11. ↑ "NEWS: Earthquakes Sign Costa Rica National Team Defender Francisco Calvo | San Jose Earthquakes". Sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "NEWS: Francisco Calvo Selected to MLS Team of the Week". Sjearthquakes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Francisco Calvo, refuerzo Bravo" [Francisco Calvo, Bravo reinforcement] (in Spanish). FC Juárez. 15 January 2024. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "الاتفاق يوقع رسمياً مع الكوستاريكي كالفو".
  15. ↑ "Francisco Calvo: "Quiero ganar muchos trofeos con Nacional"" [Francisco Calvo: "I want to win many trophies with Nacional"]. www.espn.com.ve (in Spanish).
  16. ↑ "San Jac star plays national soccer for Costa Rica". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Una nueva figura sustituirá a Gamboa | Federación Costarricense de Fútbol". Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  18. ↑ Francisco Calvo qse viene Argentina que es el partido mas bonitos para nosotros
  19. ↑ "Keylor Navas & six MLS players named in Costa Rica's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal.com. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Suárez eligió a sus 26 jugadores para la aventura mundialista en Catar" [Suárez has selected his 26 players for the World Cup adventure in Qatar] (in Spanish). Costa Rican Football Federation. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  21. ↑ "Costa Rica vs. Guatemala: Francisco Calvo celebra su partido 100 con tremendo golazo" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 15 October 2024.
  22. ↑ Francisco Calvo at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Francisco Calvo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  24. ↑ CONCACAF [@CNationsLeague] (7 June 2021). "Here is the Best XI of the Concacaf Nations League Finals" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 June 2021 – via Twitter.
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