Today, the Spaniard is one of the best central midfielders playing on Polish pitches. Despite his age and the aspects related to it, the little Andalusian makes up for it with his experience and field vision. But who is he and how did he end up in Poland? More about that in the material below.
The Andalusian began his career in the youth teams of FC Barcelona, where he trained with Sergi Roberto, Thiago, Icardi and Romeu, among others. After a few years at La Masia, he moved to the Liverpool academy. There, he again encountered future stars of world football, such as Sterling and Gulácsi.
He made his first-team debut for the Reds at the age of 18 in a Champions League match against Fiorentina. He then had a few more chances to play in the Premier League but never quite made it there.
At a young age, in order to save his career, he tried loans to Atlético Madrid, Rayo and other La Liga teams – without success. Time passed, Dani was getting older and the train with the inscription "great career" seemed to be leaving. Transfers to Alcorcón and Real Betis also did not bring the expected results. Then came episodes in Getafe, Malaga, and finally – as a veteran of Spanish pitches – he was without a club at the age of 30. As he himself admits, at that time he had thoughts of ending his career.
But fate had other plans. Pacheco became a player of UD Logroñés, playing in the Segunda División. Thanks to his good performance, he was spotted by Cypriot Aris Limassol. And then?
And then came Zabrze. When he arrived in July 2024, many Górnik fans were confused – a 31-year-old footballer who may have had a strong CV but had not made an impact anywhere, was now to become the head of the midfield of the team from Śląsk. Dani turned out to be a bull's eye. Combining him with the realities of our league and coach Urban, along with his vision of the game, meant that at Roosevelta the Spaniard experienced one of the best periods of his career.
He formed a brilliant midfield partnership with Rasak, dominating many games in the centre of the pitch. His two-footedness and his magic on the pitch – giving the impression that he saw more than most – quickly made him the star of the team. So what ended that dream?
Probably – money. Górnik is famous for its financial problems, and such a solid player as Pacheco expected a salary at an appropriate level. The player himself – due to his age – did not give the board hope for a potential income. So the club did not extend his contract, which was supposedly a source of disgust for the Zabrze coach.
The opportunity was seized by Wisła Płock – a club that does not complain about lack of funds. They signed the Spaniard for free and he was supposed to be their best chance to return to the top. The player fulfilled this task without a problem: 3 goals, 7 assists, almost 3000 minutes on the pitch and an average rating of 7.7/10 according to the Sofascore portal – this makes him one of the best players in the Polish first league.
Dani will play with Nafciarze in the Ekstraklasa next season, where he will certainly give his rivals a hard time more than once. Górnik must swallow another – and not the first – bad decision regarding staff rotation. Personally, I am curious what such a player still has to do to be more appreciated in our leagues.