'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQF/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM6EGf8A/8QAIBAAAgEEAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQSIgURFBUhgf/aAAgBAQABPwCx5HuIYnlRgZnYaMBj0+GvPX6aI6Yr6Gtf/8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMABDH/2gAIAQIBAT8AZZaMM//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhL/2gAIAQMBAT8AAxWf/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Francisco Zuniga, the captain of semi-pro Gibraltar side Bruno's Magpies, has had quite a rousing story as he prepares to lead his side in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers against FC Copenhagen of Denmark.
The Magpies, a pub team founded in 2013 by teenager Louis Perry - already announced themselves on the continental stage. Playing the biggest match in their short history, Zuniga and Co. beat Ireland Premier Division side Derry United 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg 2-1 away.
Zuniga - who was a taxi driver in the Mexican port city of Veracruz in 2016 - was the protagonist of their win, scoring the second goal in their 2-0 first-leg home win over Derry.
The then 24-year-old - a self-confessed 'lazy' person - hadn't played in a few years since being released by first-division side Club Deportivo Veracruz while he was a teenager. Looking back on those days, Zuniga said (as per Sport Bible):
"That's why I started working as a taxi driver. My father wouldn't allow a lazy person to stay in the house."
Zuniga's footballing journey kickstarted when a friend, Biagio, asked him to impersonate him at a trial in Puebla, Mexico, where scouts from Seattle Sounders, Toronto FC, CF Pachuca and Mons Calpe would be in attendance.
While the friend paid him to attend the event, Zuniga asked some of his other friends to fund his trip to the city, which cost him around €20.
After his impersonation was seemingly overlooked, Zuniga received an invitation from Mons Calpe, a Gibraltar-based team, who required a left-footed tall centre-back with an European passport. Incidentally, he had received his Spanish passport two months back, due to his father, who hails from Osasuna.
Having only arrived with a backpack when he joined Mons Calpe in 2017, Francisco Zuniga joined Bruno's Magpies three years later. On Wednesday (July 25), he will lead them out against Copenhagen for the biggest match in their history.
More about Francisco Zuniga, the captain of Bruno's Magpies
When he had first arrived in Gibraltar, Bruno's Magpies captain Francisco Zuniga took time to adjust to the eight-hour time difference and the cold weather. Eventually, he acclimatised to his new surroundings and is also gaining English fluency by practicing the language with his wife.
Looking back, Zuniga doesn't regret leaving behind Mexico, as he saw the move to Gibraltar as a 'huge opportunity'. Six years later, he has certainly made the most of that, reminiscing (as per the aforementioned source):
"I had €50 to my name when I arrived in Gibraltar. A lot of people ask me if it was a difficult decision to leave Mexico behind but I always say it was the easiest one. I had nothing, and this was a huge opportunity.”
Closing in on 100 caps for Nathan Rooney's Bruno's Magpies, Francisco Zuniga is six months away from getting eligible to represent the Gibraltar national team, which gained UEFA recognition in 2013.
