Paul Francis (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Francis | ||
| Date of birth | 5 December 2005[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Solomon Islands | ||
| Position | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nasinu[2] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| East Guadalcanal | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | East Guadalcanal[2] | 4 | (1) |
| 2021 | Henderson Eels | 14 | (6) |
| 2022–2023 | Waneagu United | 17 | (19) |
| 2023 | → Henderson Eels (loan) | 2 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Real Kakamora | 20 | (17) |
| 2025– | Nasinu | 10 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Guadalcanal | (2) | |
| 2022–2024 | Solomon Islands U20 | 7 | (7) |
| 2022 | Solomon Islands U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024 | Solomon Islands "B" | 4 | (1) |
| 2024– | Solomon Islands | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:18, 28 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Paul Francis (born 5 December 2005) is a Solomon Islands professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Fiji Premier League club Nasinu and the Solomon Islands national team. Known for his pace, dribbling skill, and goal-scoring ability, he is regarded as one of the best young players in Oceania.[3][4][5]
Club career
Born in Guadalcanal Province, Francis began his career at local side East Guadalcanal Frigates and represented the team at the 2020 Guadalcanal Cup.[6] As a 14-year-old, he was named to the Guadalcanal provincial football team for the 2020 Solomon Cup, where he scored two goals. Francis's ability was noticed by Guadalcanal coach Eddie Marahare, who also served as the head coach for 2020–21 league champions Henderson Eels.
Aged 15, Francis made his senior debut for Eels in the 2021 season during the match against Southern United on 12 June 2021 and his first goals came during the 4–1 win against Marist on July 11, in which he scored a brace.[2] After the end of the season, Francis was then signed by Waneagu United.[7] In his first full season, Francis scored 11 goals in all competitions with Waneagu as the team's top scorer.[1] Francis temporarily returned to Eels to begin the 2023 season on loan,[8] before being re-called by Waneagu at mid-season. He then joined Real Kakamora in 2024.[1]
Francis rose to international prominence in 2024, in which his goal-scoring exploits for S-League club Real Kakamora (which had famously lost all 22 of their matches the previous season) helped lead the team to a third-placed finish, their best in club history.[9] Almost immediately, Francis became a beloved cult hero among the club's supporters, and finished 3rd in the league's golden boot race that season, scoring 17 goals for Kakamora in 20 matches played. However, Kakamora's league license was controversially not renewed by the S-League the following year, preventing them from competing in the competition. Despite drawing interest from multiple prominent clubs in the region, Francis signed with Fiji Premier League club Nasinu on a one-year contract instead, who were coming off a campaign in which they narrowly avoided relegation.[2] Despite missing significant time due to injuries and an illness suffered by his daughter, Francis managed to score 10 goals in 10 matches with the club in the 2025 season, which included a hat trick against Nadi in March. Although he was absent for almost half the club's matches, Francis still finished with the third-most goals out of any Fiji Premier League player that season. Despite initially finalizing an agreement to return to Nasinu in 2026 with Kakamora still unable to compete, he began to attract interest from clubs in Australia's NPL Victoria.
International career
Francis has represented the Solomon Islands U20 and U23 teams since 2022 during the OFC U-19 Championship and the 2023 OFC Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[10] He also represented the Solomon Islands "B" national team during the 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup, scoring the team's only goal at the tournament during a 3–1 loss against Vanuatu.[11]
He was first called up to the Solomon Islands senior team for the 2023 Tri-Nations Series and was included on the bench during a 2–0 victory against Fiji on 20 March 2023.[12][13] As a second-half substitute on 14 November 2024, Francis made his debut for Solomon Islands during a 3–2 loss against New Caledonia during 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[14][15] Francis's exclusion from the team's other two matches, including a 1–0 loss to 10-man Fiji, drew significant controversy from fans of Solomon football and led to calls for the sacking of national team head coach Josh Smith. Smith was sacked in early 2026 after winning only three matches in his tenure, with the incident being cited as one of the causes which led to his ousting.
Career statistics
Club
Only league statistics are known.[2][1]
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| East Guadalcanal Frigates | 2020 | 4 | 1 | |
| Henderson Eels | 2021 | S-League | 14 | 6 |
| Waneagu United | 2022–23 | S-League | 11 | 11 |
| 2023 | S-League | 6 | 8 | |
| Henderson Eels (loan) | S-League | 2 | 2 | |
| Real Kakamora | 2024 | S-League | 20 | 17 |
| Nasinu | 2025 | Fiji Premier League | 10 | 10 |
| Career total | 67 | 45 | ||
International
- As of match played 21 December 2024.[1]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalcanal | 2020 | ? | 2 |
| Total | ? | 2 | |
| Solomon Islands "B" | 2024 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 1 | |
| Solomon Islands | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 5+ | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Solomon Islands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Francis goal.[1]
| No. | Team | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Solomon Islands "B" | 15 December 2024 | Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands | 3 | Vanuatu | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2024 MSG Prime Minister's Cup | [11] |
Honours
East Guadalcanal Frigates
- Guadalcanal Cup: 2020[6]
Henderson Eels
Real Kakamora
- Solomon Islands S-League: third place 2024[9]
Solomon Islands
- Tri-Nations Series: 2023[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Paul Francis". National Football Teams.
- ^ a b c d e "Paul FRANCIS". Fiji Football. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ Saltori, Rafael (26 June 2024). "Real Kakamora's Paul Francis the star player as Solomon Islands unveil squad for U19 OFC Men's Championship". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ Saltori, Rafael (10 July 2024). "Real Kakamora duo shine in Solomon Islands' U19 OFC Men's Championship campaign". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ Saltori, Rafael (18 July 2024). "Paul Francis shines with Hattrick as Solomon Islands secure third place at OFC U-19 Championship". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Zoleveke II, Peter (10 November 2020). "Frigates soar in G-Cup 2020". The Island Sun. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Waneagu FC releases TSL squad". Solomon Star News. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Henderson Eels announce key additions for the upcoming Telekom S-League season". Oceania Football Center.
- ^ a b "Solomon Islands 2024". RSSSF.
- ^ Saltori, Rafael (17 July 2024). "Paul Francis shines with Hattrick as Solomon Islands secure third place at OFC U-19 Championship". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Vanuatu vs. Solomon Islands (B) 2024-12-15". National Football Teams.
- ^ "Solomon Islands national team (Tri-Nations March, 2023)". Oceania Football Center. March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "2023 Tri-Nations Series". Fiji Live. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Solomon Islands vs New Caledonia". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Solomon Islands vs New Caledonia". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "Solomons lift tri-nations football series with win over Fiji". RNZ. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2025.