Seriously, who is this man? For the last two years, he has been the highest paid player in the J League even though he plays less than half of a season. His highest goal scoring total in the J League was 8 in 2007 and his highest assist total is 7. A veteran of the famed Sao Paolo squad and a three year contributor for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, he has a pedigree rivaled only by Urawa's Ponte.Who is Franca? Possibly the most important man to wear a yellow shirt in the next three weeks. What he does will determine whether or not the squad stays in J1.
After a long layoff, Franca returned to notch 2 goals in a blowout win over potential J League frontrunners Shimizu S Pulse, cutting the crucial goal differential to a manageable 9.
Can he score some more. Yes, if he can stay healthy enough to play. That is the major question.
