Sporty crystal has not yet concluded the question of his reinforcements for the final tournament in 2023. Aside from the fact that the name Nicolás Pasquini is already taken for granted, the club has merely announced it officially Frank Medina, right side, which comes from Cienciano. The young footballer’s signing was not well received by many Cristal fans as he is not an established player. Medina had no continuity with the “Dad” and in 2020 he was relegated with Alianza Lima.
However, beyond those bad moments, Franco Medina counts on having been part of the Peru U20 and U23 teams. He may not have played 100 games in the first division, but he has played more than one season as a regular. Sporting Cristal’s new addition stated that he identifies with the team’s game and that he feels very good about this new stage, both football-wise and mentally.
Franco Medina and his career
Franco Anthony Medina Soto was born on July 18, 1999 in Lima, Peru. He was trained in the smaller divisions at Alianza Lima, a club where he signed his first professional contract in June 2018. Medina is a right-back but due to his playing characteristics he can also serve as a midfielder on the wing and play a bigger offensive role. Before making his professional debut, he was brokered by Daniel Ahmed for the 2019 South America U-20 team.
That same year, Franco Medina was loaned to César Vallejon and made his debut on March 9 in a 1-0 win over the Boys on day four of Apertura. Although few remember him today, the young full-back made up the bulk of the club’s minutes bag, also winning the position of Jeremy Rostaing at right flank. “Chemo” Del Solar’s team used to play mainly in a back three, so Medina was often used as a midfielder.
Franco Medina played three of the six games at the 2019 South America U-20 World Cup. Photo: DeChalaca
In 2020 he returned to Alianza Lima but only played 349′ in nine games. At the end of the year he lost the category on the court. Franco Medina decided to stay and play in Liga 1 and became a reinforcement for Deportivo Municipal. With the councilmen, he was the main option at right-back, alternating some games at left flank and in midfield. The following year, apart from a few games in which Rotceh Aguilar played, Medina was undisputed.
The figures of Franco Medina in Cienciano
The regularity and minutes that Franco Medina added in two years at Deportivo Municipal must have been one of the factors that encouraged Cienciano to hire him in 2023. However, during his stay in Cusco there were occasional rumors about his possible departure. Luis Garro was the starting right-back throughout the Apertura tournament and Medina didn’t even appear on the list most days.
Franco Medina only played two games as a starter in Cienciano. Photo: GLR archives
Indeed, it was on the 17th against Municipal that he made his first appearance in more than two months, coming on for Alberto Quintero in the 85th minute. In all, Franco Medina played just 146 minutes in four Liga 1 games with Cienciano and 45 minutes in the second leg against Universitario in the first round of the Copa Sudamericana.