Francisco Campos (footballer)

Francisco Campos Santín (8 August 1912 – Unknown) was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid and Sevilla FC. He later became a referee, overseeing several matches in the first and second divisions between 1949 and 1957.

Playing career
Born on 8 August 1912 in Madrid, Campos began his football career in 1931, at the age of 19, in his hometown club Imperio CF, which was a team made up of students and civil guards, but it also served as a subsidiary and youth team of Real Madrid. In his first season at the club, he stood out among his teammates, which included Avelino Álvarez, and helped Imperio become champions of Spain in its category, so he was signed in 1932 by Real Madrid, where he had few chances, mostly due to the presence of the great Ricardo Zamora. He appears as a reserve for the squad between 1932 and 1936, and only played 2 official matches in the first team as a goalkeeper, one of which in the 1934–35 La Liga, an away fixture against Valencia CF on 27 January, conceding only once in a 4–1 win. Despite having little to no playing time, Campos remained loyal to Madrid for four years until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

After the Civil War ended in 1939, Campos returned to Imperio CF, where he played one season under coach José Quirante, featuring alongside Ramón Colón and Cuestita, but they were not able to avoid relegation to the Tercera División. Campos then played one season in both Sporting de Gijón and Sevilla FC before retiring in the latter in 1942, at the age of 30.

Refereeing career
In 1949, seven years after hanging up his boots, Campos became an official football referee, and between 1949 and 1957, he oversaw several matches in the first and second divisions, occasionally in the Spanish Cup, and even one promotion match to 1st division in 1953. Notably, he refereed two matches between Valencia and Real Sociedad, one in 1952 and the other in 1954, and Valencia netted four goals in both of them. In the only match with Deportivo de La Coruña that he refereed, the club suffered resounding defeat of 2–8 to Athletic Bilbao.

The date of his death is unknown.