Luis Javier García Sanz
Encyclopedia
Luis Javier García Sanz (born 24 June 1978), known as Luis García, is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Puebla F.C. in Mexico
, mainly as a left winger.
Although naturally left-footed, he has ability to kick with both feet and has a good aerial game, despite a small frame. He played professionally for FC Barcelona
and Atlético Madrid in his homeland, amongst others - being brought up in the former's youth ranks - appearing abroad for Liverpool
, with which he won
one UEFA Champions League
.
A Spanish international
during one year, García represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup
.
, Barcelona, Catalonia
, García was a product of local FC Barcelona
's prolific youth ranks but, after two successful seasons with its B team
, he left on loan for Real Valladolid
, where he made his La Liga
debut on 22 August 1999, in a 0–1 loss at CD Numancia
, and finished the season at second division
's CD Toledo
, also on loan, his four goals not being enough to prevent relegation for the Castile-La Mancha
side.
Subsequently, García played another season in the second level, being instrumental in CD Tenerife
's promotion, netting 16 league goals under the guidance of manager Rafael Benítez
. Loaned for the fourth time by Barcelona, he returned to Valladolid for 2001–02, scoring seven first division goals in 25 contests, including two in a 5–1 success at Tenerife.
3.6 million but, after a highly successful individual season (nine league goals), Barça activated a clause which allowed the player's return for an additional €1.4 million.
At Camp Nou
, he had another good season, helping the Catalan
outfit to the second place in the league, five points behind champions Valencia CF
.
in August 2004, for a fee of £
6 million. He was bought essentially as a replacement for El Hadji Diouf
, but proved much more than a stand-in, and became a key component of Liverpool's attacking unit. He made his Premier League debut against Bolton Wanderers
on 29 August, a 1–0 loss, although García had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out for offside. His first goal in a Liverpool shirt came against West Bromwich Albion
at Anfield
in September. He went on to score seven more league goals that season, including the winner in the Merseyside derby
on 20 March 2005.
He was also a key player in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League
successful campaign, netting winning goals against Juventus
and Chelsea
(a controversial goal in the fourth minute, dubbed a "ghost goal
" by Chelsea manager José Mourinho
), in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Having appeared in the final
against A.C. Milan
, he finished his first season in English football with 13 goals in all competitions.
García did not make so much of an impact in the 2005–06 season, although he weighed in with some vital goals, including a lofted finish against Chelsea to put them out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals. García was suspended for the final victory against West Ham United
, having been sent off
in a league game just days after his semi-final winner, ironically against West Ham. He also scored Liverpool's third goal in the Reds 2005 UEFA Super Cup
final win.
On 10 January 2007, following the 3–6 loss to Arsenal
in the League Cup
, which was his final game for Liverpool, it was confirmed by the club that García had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) in his right knee
during the game; he would be out for at least six months.
His positive relationship with club fans was in great measure due to the fact of his decisive goals against Chelsea. It was further underlined by the song frequently sung in his honor, to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine
": "Luis García, he drinks Sangria
/he came from Barça to bring us joy!/He's five foot seven, he's football heaven/So please don't take our Luis away!"
Garcia ranked 43rd in the 100 Players Who Shook the Kop online poll, with Jamie Carragher
and Steven Gerrard
being the only current squad players ranked higher. On 21 August 2007, liverpoolfc.tv published a letter from the player to the fans in which he expressed his appreciation. He later revealed he wanted to return to Spain at some point and play for Atlético Madrid. Previously, on 2 July, his agent revealed that a deal was being put in place for a permanent transfer. All in all, García scored 30 goals in 121 appearances for Liverpool, with 10 goals coming in the Champions League, five in the knockout stages of the 2005 triumph.
in the opposite direction. Nonetheless, these deals were conducted separately.
After a first season, where he played mainly as backup to Portugal
's Simão Sabrosa
, though still managing 30 league appearances, with García playing both matches against former side Liverpool in the following season's Champions League group stage. On 4 November 2008, he came on as a late substitute at Anfield, to appreciative applause. During 2008–09's league, however, he fell out of favour, appearing mainly as a late substitute and sometimes not even making the list of 18.
On 11 August 2009, it was confirmed García had reached an agreement with Racing de Santander
. His season
was quite unassuming, with the player appearing in only 15 league matches without scoring, as the Cantabria
n side narrowly avoided relegation.
On 28 August 2010, García signed a one-year contract with Greek
team Panathinaikos. On 4 September, he flew back to Anfield to take part in Carragher's testimonial match, scoring a goal in the second minute. Ten days later, he returned to the Camp Nou
, playing the last 20 minutes in a 1–5 loss for the Champions League group stage.
On 1 July 2011, 33-year old García signed with Mexican
team Puebla FC. On the 23rd, he scored his first goal with La Franja, against Club Atlas.
on 26 March 2005, appearing in a 3–0 friendly win against China in Salamanca
.
García was then chosen as part of the nation's squad-of-23 for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. He started in wins against Ukraine
and Tunisia
, and was used as a subsititute in the round of 16 loss against France
.
|1997–98||rowspan="2"|Barcelona B
||Third Division
||42||17||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||42||17
|-
|1998–99||Second Division
||36||10||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||36||10
|-
|1999–00||Valladolid
||Spanish League
||6||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||6||0
|-
|1999–00||Toledo
||Second Division
||17||4||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||17||4
|-
|2000–01||Tenerife
||Second Division
||40||16||1||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||41||16
|-
|2001–02||Valladolid
||Spanish League
||25||7||4||3||colspan="2"|-||0||0||29||10
|-
|2002–03||Atlético Madrid||Spanish League
||30||9||2||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||32||9
|-
|2003–04||Barcelona
||Spanish League
||25||4||6||1||colspan="2"|-||7||3||38||8
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Liverpool
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||29||8||0||0||3||0||12||5||44||16
|-
|2005–06||31||7||3||1||1||0||13||3||48||11
|-
|2006–07||17||3||1||0||1||0||7||3||26||6
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Atlético Madrid||rowspan="2"|Spanish League
||30||2||6||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1||41||3
|-
|2008–09|||18||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||23||0
|-
|2009–10
||rowspan="1"|Racing Santander||rowspan="1"|Spanish League
||15||0||||||||||||||15||0
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Panathinaikos||rowspan="1"|Greek League||14||1||||||||||6||0||20||1
|-
|2011–12||rowspan="1"|Puebla||rowspan="1"|Primera División||9||4||||||||||||||9||4
|-
283||69||13||4||colspan="2"|-||14||4||310||77
77||18||4||1||5||0||32||11||118||33
14||1||0||0||0||0||6||0||20||1
9||4||0||0||0||0||||||9||4
383||93||17||5||5||0||52||15||457||115
|2005||6||3
|-
|2006||12||1
|-
!Total||18||4
|}
in dedication to firstling Joel. Defensive midfielder Javi García
, who represented amongst others Real Madrid
and S.L. Benfica, is his cousin
.
Additionally, García advertised H&M
men's suits and Umbro
football boots.
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 Puebla F.C. in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, mainly as a left winger.
Although naturally left-footed, he has ability to kick with both feet and has a good aerial game, despite a small frame. He played professionally for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Atlético Madrid in his homeland, amongst others - being brought up in the former's youth ranks - appearing abroad for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, with which he won
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
one UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
A Spanish international
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
during one year, García represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
.
Barcelona
Born in BadalonaBadalona
Badalona is a city in eastern Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the comarca of the Barcelonès, near the city of Barcelona and part of its metropolitan area. It is situated on the left bank of the small Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, backed by the Serra de la Marina mountain range...
, Barcelona, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, García was a product of local FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's prolific youth ranks but, after two successful seasons with its B team
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
, he left on loan for Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, where he made his La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
debut on 22 August 1999, in a 0–1 loss at CD Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
, and finished the season at second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
's CD Toledo
CD Toledo
Club Deportivo Toledo, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1928, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home games at Estadio Salto del Caballo, with a seating capacity of 5,300.Home uniforms consist of green...
, also on loan, his four goals not being enough to prevent relegation for the Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities...
side.
Subsequently, García played another season in the second level, being instrumental in CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
's promotion, netting 16 league goals under the guidance of manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
. Loaned for the fourth time by Barcelona, he returned to Valladolid for 2001–02, scoring seven first division goals in 25 contests, including two in a 5–1 success at Tenerife.
Atlético Madrid
In 2002–03, García was sold to Atlético Madrid for €Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
3.6 million but, after a highly successful individual season (nine league goals), Barça activated a clause which allowed the player's return for an additional €1.4 million.
At Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
, he had another good season, helping the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
outfit to the second place in the league, five points behind champions Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
.
Liverpool
García was signed by former Tenerife coach Benítez for LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in August 2004, for a fee of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
6 million. He was bought essentially as a replacement for El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays for Doncaster Rovers. He can play on both wings as well as in attack. He has also garnered a large amount of notoriety for a series of controversial incidents.-Early career:Diouf started his career in France with...
, but proved much more than a stand-in, and became a key component of Liverpool's attacking unit. He made his Premier League debut against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
on 29 August, a 1–0 loss, although García had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out for offside. His first goal in a Liverpool shirt came against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in September. He went on to score seven more league goals that season, including the winner in the Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
on 20 March 2005.
He was also a key player in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
successful campaign, netting winning goals against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
(a controversial goal in the fourth minute, dubbed a "ghost goal
Ghost goal
Ghost goal is a term used in association football to describe a questionable decision, usually involving incertitude or controversy as to whether a ball crossed the goal line or not.- Background :...
" by Chelsea manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
), in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Having appeared in the final
2005 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005...
against A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, he finished his first season in English football with 13 goals in all competitions.
García did not make so much of an impact in the 2005–06 season, although he weighed in with some vital goals, including a lofted finish against Chelsea to put them out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals. García was suspended for the final victory against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, having been sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
in a league game just days after his semi-final winner, ironically against West Ham. He also scored Liverpool's third goal in the Reds 2005 UEFA Super Cup
2005 UEFA Super Cup
The 2005 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and CSKA Moscow of Russia on 26 August 2005 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, the annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in the Super Cup...
final win.
On 10 January 2007, following the 3–6 loss to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, which was his final game for Liverpool, it was confirmed by the club that García had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament can be a debilitating musculoskeletal injury to the knee, seen most often in athletes. Non-contact tears and ruptures are the most common causes of ACL injury....
(ACL) in his right knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
during the game; he would be out for at least six months.
His positive relationship with club fans was in great measure due to the fact of his decisive goals against Chelsea. It was further underlined by the song frequently sung in his honor, to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine
You Are My Sunshine
"You Are My Sunshine" is a popular song first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana as a result of its association with former state governor and country music singer Jimmie Davis. The song is copyright 1940 Peer International Corporation, words and music by...
": "Luis García, he drinks Sangria
Sangría
Sangria is a wine punch typical of Spain and Portugal, also consumed in Argentina and Uruguay. It normally consists of a wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. To be specific, a wine is a light, dry, young, high acid, unoaked, inexpensive wine, usually red wine due...
/he came from Barça to bring us joy!/He's five foot seven, he's football heaven/So please don't take our Luis away!"
Garcia ranked 43rd in the 100 Players Who Shook the Kop online poll, with Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
and Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
being the only current squad players ranked higher. On 21 August 2007, liverpoolfc.tv published a letter from the player to the fans in which he expressed his appreciation. He later revealed he wanted to return to Spain at some point and play for Atlético Madrid. Previously, on 2 July, his agent revealed that a deal was being put in place for a permanent transfer. All in all, García scored 30 goals in 121 appearances for Liverpool, with 10 goals coming in the Champions League, five in the knockout stages of the 2005 triumph.
Return to Spain / Later years
29-year old García signed with former team Atlético Madrid for around £4 million, with his transfer being negotiated between the two clubs around the same time that they were arranging a deal for Fernando TorresFernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
in the opposite direction. Nonetheless, these deals were conducted separately.
After a first season, where he played mainly as backup to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's Simão Sabrosa
Simão Sabrosa
Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH , commonly known as Simão , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Beşiktaş J.K. in Turkey, mainly as a left winger - he can also play as a forward - with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.Having played in his country for two of the three...
, though still managing 30 league appearances, with García playing both matches against former side Liverpool in the following season's Champions League group stage. On 4 November 2008, he came on as a late substitute at Anfield, to appreciative applause. During 2008–09's league, however, he fell out of favour, appearing mainly as a late substitute and sometimes not even making the list of 18.
On 11 August 2009, it was confirmed García had reached an agreement with Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
. His season
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
was quite unassuming, with the player appearing in only 15 league matches without scoring, as the Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
n side narrowly avoided relegation.
On 28 August 2010, García signed a one-year contract with Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
team Panathinaikos. On 4 September, he flew back to Anfield to take part in Carragher's testimonial match, scoring a goal in the second minute. Ten days later, he returned to the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
, playing the last 20 minutes in a 1–5 loss for the Champions League group stage.
On 1 July 2011, 33-year old García signed with Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
team Puebla FC. On the 23rd, he scored his first goal with La Franja, against Club Atlas.
International career
After a productive first season with Liverpool, García made his debut for the Spanish national teamSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 26 March 2005, appearing in a 3–0 friendly win against China in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
.
García was then chosen as part of the nation's squad-of-23 for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. He started in wins against Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
and Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
, and was used as a subsititute in the round of 16 loss against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
.
Club
|-|1997–98||rowspan="2"|Barcelona B
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
||Third Division
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...
||42||17||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||42||17
|-
|1998–99||Second Division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||36||10||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||36||10
|-
|1999–00||Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
||Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||6||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||6||0
|-
|1999–00||Toledo
CD Toledo
Club Deportivo Toledo, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1928, it plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home games at Estadio Salto del Caballo, with a seating capacity of 5,300.Home uniforms consist of green...
||Second Division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||17||4||0||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||17||4
|-
|2000–01||Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
||Second Division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
||40||16||1||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||41||16
|-
|2001–02||Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
||Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||25||7||4||3||colspan="2"|-||0||0||29||10
|-
|2002–03||Atlético Madrid||Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||30||9||2||0||colspan="2"|-||0||0||32||9
|-
|2003–04||Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||25||4||6||1||colspan="2"|-||7||3||38||8
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
||rowspan="3"|Premier League||29||8||0||0||3||0||12||5||44||16
|-
|2005–06||31||7||3||1||1||0||13||3||48||11
|-
|2006–07||17||3||1||0||1||0||7||3||26||6
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Atlético Madrid||rowspan="2"|Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||30||2||6||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1||41||3
|-
|2008–09|||18||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||23||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
||rowspan="1"|Racing Santander||rowspan="1"|Spanish League
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||15||0||||||||||||||15||0
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Panathinaikos||rowspan="1"|Greek League||14||1||||||||||6||0||20||1
|-
|2011–12||rowspan="1"|Puebla||rowspan="1"|Primera División||9||4||||||||||||||9||4
|-
283||69||13||4||colspan="2"|-||14||4||310||77
77||18||4||1||5||0||32||11||118||33
14||1||0||0||0||0||6||0||20||1
9||4||0||0||0||0||||||9||4
383||93||17||5||5||0||52||15||457||115
International
|-|2005||6||3
|-
|2006||12||1
|-
!Total||18||4
|}
Club
- LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
:- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2004–05; Runner-up 2006–07 - UEFA Super Cup: 20052005 UEFA Super CupThe 2005 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and CSKA Moscow of Russia on 26 August 2005 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, the annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in the Super Cup...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 2005–06 - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 20062006 FA Community ShieldThe 2006 FA Community Shield was a football match played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 13 August 2006 between the 2005–06 FA Premier League champions Chelsea and 2005–06 FA Cup winners Liverpool. Liverpool won the match 2–1, with goals coming from John Arne Riise and Peter Crouch...
- UEFA Champions League
- Atlético Madrid:
- UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
: 2007
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
Personal life
García is married to Raquel, with whom he has two children - he often celebrated goals by sucking his thumbThumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...
in dedication to firstling Joel. Defensive midfielder Javi García
Francisco Javier García
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal...
, who represented amongst others Real Madrid
Real 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...
and S.L. Benfica, is his cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
.
Additionally, García advertised H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
men's suits and Umbro
Umbro
Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment...
football boots.