Gonzalo García García
Encyclopedia
Gonzalo Manuel García García (born 13 September 1983), simply Gonzalo, is an Uruguay
an-Spanish
footballer who plays for AEK Larnaca F.C. in Cyprus
, as an attacking midfielder.
, Uruguay
, Gonzalo moved to Spain
at the age of 14, his grandparent
s hailing from Galicia.
He would eventually represent the Spanish under-17
, at the same time as Andrés Iniesta
, José Antonio Reyes
and Fernando Torres
.
's youth system, but could never move past its reserve side
. He would only play in his country of adoption in Segunda División B
, also representing AD Alcorcón
, Mérida UD
and CF Palencia
.
In 2005, Gonzalo moved to the Netherlands
, first with AGOVV Apeldoorn
, being one of the leading top scorers in the second division
season, under manager Stanley Menzo
. He immediately moved to the Eredivisie
, signing with SC Heerenveen, playing his first match in the competition on 10 February 2007, against Vitesse, but appearing rarely over the course of two seasons, finishing 2007–08 on loan to Heracles Almelo
, and helping the club narrowly avoid relegation.
Subsequently, Gonzalo signed with FC Groningen, penning a four-year deal with the Euroborg
outfit. First-choice in his debut season - 28 matches, four goals - he appeared rarely in 2009–10
, being again loaned in the January transfer window, now to VVV-Venlo.
In June 2011, Gonzalo moved to Cyprus
with AEK Larnaca FC. On the 14th, in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round
, he scored a hat-trick
in a 8–0 routing of Maltese
team Floriana FC.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an-Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for AEK Larnaca F.C. in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, as an attacking midfielder.
Early years
Born in MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Gonzalo moved to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
at the age of 14, his grandparent
Grandparent
Grandparents are the parents of a person's own parent, whether that be a father or a mother. Every sexually-reproducing creature who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic grandparents, eight genetic great-grandparents, sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents, etc...
s hailing from Galicia.
He would eventually represent the Spanish under-17
Spain national under-17 football team
The Spain national under-17 football team represents Spain in international football at this age level and is controlled by Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain....
, at the same time as Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team....
, José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes
José Antonio Reyes Calderón is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid.Mainly a left winger but also a forward, he made his professional debuts for hometown's Sevilla at only 16, signing with England's Arsenal aged 20.After a relatively successful career abroad, Reyes...
and Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
.
Club career
Gonzalo joined Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
's youth system, but could never move past its reserve side
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
. He would only play in his country of adoption in Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
, also representing AD Alcorcón
AD Alcorcón
Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcón is a Spanish football team based in Alcorcón, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1971, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Municipal de Santo Domingo, with a 5,430 seat capacity....
, Mérida UD
Mérida UD
Mérida Unión Deportiva is a Spanish football club based in Mérida, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Founded in 1990, the club currently plays in Tercera División – Group 14.-History:...
and CF Palencia
CF Palencia
Club de Fútbol Palencia is a Spanish football team based in Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1975, it plays in Segunda División B - Group 2, holding home games at Estadio La Nueva Balastera, with a capacity of 12,500 spectators.-History:Palencia has had many...
.
In 2005, Gonzalo moved to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, first with AGOVV Apeldoorn
AGOVV Apeldoorn
AGOVV Apeldoorn is a Dutch football club, playing in the Eerste Divisie, based in Apeldoorn.The club was founded on 25 February 1913, as AGOSV, which stood for Apeldoornse Geheel Onthoudersvoetbalvereniging Steeds Voorwaarts...
, being one of the leading top scorers in the second division
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
season, under manager Stanley Menzo
Stanley Menzo
Stanley Purl Menzo is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach.Most of his professional career was spent at Ajax , appearing in more than 300 official matches with the club and winning nine major titles.Menzo represented the Dutch national team in one World Cup...
. He immediately moved to the Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
, signing with SC Heerenveen, playing his first match in the competition on 10 February 2007, against Vitesse, but appearing rarely over the course of two seasons, finishing 2007–08 on loan to Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo
Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands.Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles, after the demigod son of Zeus. They changed their name on July 1, 1974 to SC Heracles '74 and finally settled on the current name in 1998. The club has won the Dutch national title...
, and helping the club narrowly avoid relegation.
Subsequently, Gonzalo signed with FC Groningen, penning a four-year deal with the Euroborg
Euroborg
Euroborg is the stadium of football club FC Groningen, with a capacity of 22,329 seats. Located to the south-east of Groningen, the Euroborg site houses a casino and a movie theatre, a school, a supermarket and a fitness centre. A temporary railway station at the Euroborg has opened in late 2007....
outfit. First-choice in his debut season - 28 matches, four goals - he appeared rarely in 2009–10
2009–10 Eredivisie
-Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
, being again loaned in the January transfer window, now to VVV-Venlo.
In June 2011, Gonzalo moved to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
with AEK Larnaca FC. On the 14th, in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round
2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round
This article details the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round.All times are CEST .-Round and draw dates:All draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland....
, he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a 8–0 routing of Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
team Floriana FC.