Darío Franco · Biography

On 9 June 1991, as the 1990-91 championship was decided, Newell's Old Boys were crowned Argentine Primera División champions with Darío Franco in midfield. That same year he made his international debut and won the Copa América in Chile. Darío Javier Franco Gatti was born on 17 January 1969 in Cruz Alta, in the province of Córdoba. A midfielder who also holds Mexican nationality, he went on after retiring to a long coaching career in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

Early years and Newell's Old Boys

Franco came through provincial football and moved to Rosario to join Newell's Old Boys, for whom he played in the top flight between 1988 and 1991. He was a technically sound midfielder who could arrive in the box and distribute the ball. At Newell's he shared a dressing room with a group of players produced by the club's academy. The 1991 league title closed his spell there and opened the door to Europe, where Spanish clubs were looking for South American midfielders with international experience.

Real Zaragoza: Copa del Rey and Cup Winners' Cup

In 1991 he joined Real Zaragoza, where he stayed for four seasons, until 1995. It was the period of his greatest international exposure. With the Aragonese club he won the 1994 Copa del Rey and, a year later, the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup, the most important continental trophy in Zaragoza's history. At La Romareda he established himself as a hard-running midfielder, useful both in build-up play and in pressing, in a side that mixed Spanish players with several South Americans.

Argentina national team

For Argentina he played 22 matches and scored 6 goals between 1991 and 1994. His busiest year was 1991, with 13 appearances and all six of his goals, the same year the national team won the Copa América in Chile. He was also part of the squad that won the 1993 Copa América in Ecuador and the 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup. From 1992 to 1994 he made three appearances a year, with a smaller role in a highly competitive midfield group.

Mexico: Atlas and Morelia

In 1995 he moved to Mexican football to play for Atlas in Guadalajara, where he remained until 1997. That year he joined Monarcas Morelia, the club where he spent the final part of his career, from 1997 to 2004. At Morelia he won the Invierno 2000 tournament, the first league title in the Michoacán club's history. He retired in 2004 wearing Morelia's shirt, in the country that granted him citizenship and where he would begin his coaching career.

First years as a coach

His coaching debut came at Monarcas Morelia in 2006. That same year he took charge of Estudiantes Tecos, staying until 2007, and from 2008 to 2009 he led Atlas, his former club. In 2010 he returned to Argentina to coach San Martín de San Juan until 2011, and then took over Instituto de Córdoba from 2011 to 2012, pushing for promotion to the top flight. In 2013 he coached Universidad de Chile, his spell in Chilean football.

Aldosivi, Defensa y Justicia and Colón

Between 2013 and 2014 he was in charge of Aldosivi in Mar del Plata, a club he would return to from 2016 to 2017. In 2014 he took over Defensa y Justicia, where he worked until 2015, and from 2015 to 2016 he coached Colón de Santa Fe in the Primera División. Between 2017 and 2018 he had a second spell at Instituto. He later coached San Luis de Quillota in Chile in 2019 and Deportivo Olmedo in Ecuador in 2020.

Lower divisions and return to the top flight

From 2022 to 2023 he coached Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy. In 2023 he moved through three jobs: Deportivo Binacional in Peru, Almirante Brown and Quilmes, whom he led until 2024. In 2025 he was at Arsenal de Sarandí. On 28 March 2026, Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza announced him as head coach following the departure of Ariel Broggi, marking his return to a Primera División bench after nine years.