Luis García (footballer, born 1978)

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Luis García
Luis Garcia.jpg
García playing for Liverpool in 2005
Personal information
Full name Luis Javier García Sanz
Date of birth (1978-06-24) 24 June 1978 (age 45)
Place of birth Badalona, Spain
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Winger / Attacking midfielder
Youth career
Sant Gabriel
1994–1997 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2002 Barcelona B 73 (25)
1998 Barcelona 0 (0)
1999–2000 Valladolid (loan) 6 (0)
2000 Toledo (loan) 17 (4)
2000–2001 Tenerife (loan) 40 (16)
2001–2002 Valladolid (loan) 25 (7)
2002–2003 Atlético Madrid 30 (9)
2003–2004 Barcelona 25 (4)
2004–2007 Liverpool 77 (18)
2007–2009 Atlético Madrid 48 (2)
2009–2010 Racing Santander 15 (0)
2010–2011 Panathinaikos 14 (1)
2011–2012 Puebla 32 (12)
2012–2013 UNAM 37 (4)
2014 Atlético Kolkata 13 (2)
Total 431 (107)
International career
2005–2008 Spain 20 (4)
2001–2008 Catalonia 5 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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Luis Javier García Sanz (born 24 June 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played mainly as a left winger.

Although naturally left-footed, he had the ability to kick with both feet and has a good aerial game, despite a small frame. He played professionally for 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 Champions League amongst other major titles.

Over the course of eight seasons, García amassed La Liga totals of 150 games and 22 goals. A Spanish international for three years, he gained 20 caps and represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup.

Club career

Barcelona

Born in Badalona, 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 away loss against CD Numancia.[2] He finished the campaign at Segunda División's CD Toledo also on loan, his four goals not being enough to prevent relegation for the Castile-La Mancha side; on 18 August 1998, he had made his first competitive appearance for the Blaugrana, coming on as 78th-minute substitute for Boudewijn Zenden in a 1–2 defeat at RCD Mallorca for the Supercopa de España.[3]

Subsequently, García played another year in the second level, being instrumental in CD Tenerife's promotion by scoring 16 league goals under the guidance of manager Rafael Benítez. Loaned for the fourth time by Barcelona, he returned to Valladolid for 2001–02, netting seven top division goals in 25 contests, including two in a 5–1 away success over Tenerife.[4]

Atlético Madrid

In the 2002–03 season, García was sold to Atlético Madrid for 3.6 million but, after a highly successful individual campaign (nine league goals), Barcelona activated a clause which allowed the player's return for an additional €1.4 million.[5]

At the Camp Nou he had another good year, helping the Blaugrana to the second place in the league, five points behind champions Valencia CF.

Liverpool

García was signed by former Tenerife coach Benítez for Liverpool on 20 August 2004, on a five-year contract for a fee of £6 million. He was the fourth Spaniard signed by the club that summer[6] and, nine days after arriving, he made his Premier League debut in a 0–1 away loss to Bolton Wanderers, where he had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out for offside;[7] his first goal with his new club came against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on 11 September, concluding a 3–0 win,[8] and he went on to net seven more times in the league that season, including the headed winner in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 20 March 2005.[9]

García was also a key player in Liverpool's successful campaign in the UEFA Champions League, scoring winning goals against Juventus and Chelsea (a controversial one in the fourth minute, dubbed a "ghost goal" by Chelsea manager José Mourinho[10]), 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 successful strikes in all competitions.

File:Luis Garcia Sanz 2010.jpg
García during Jamie Carragher's testimonial match (2010)

García did not make so much of an impact in the 2005–06 campaign, 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. He 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, incidentally against West Ham;[11] early into the season, he also scored the third goal in the Reds' 2005 UEFA Super Cup final win against PFC CSKA Moscow.[12]

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.[13]

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 honour, 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!" In the 2013 poll of the 100 Players Who Shook the Kop, García ranked 34th.[14] All in all he scored 30 goals in 121 appearances for Liverpool, with ten coming in the Champions League, five in the knockout stages of the 2005 triumph.

Return to Spain

In early July 2007, 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 Torres in the opposite direction. Nonetheless, these deals were conducted separately.[15]

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 campaign's Champions League group stage. On 4 November 2008, he came on as a late substitute at Anfield to appreciative applause.[16] During the league, however, he fell out of favour, appearing mainly from the bench and sometimes not even making the list of 18.[17]

On 11 August 2009, it was confirmed García had reached an agreement with Racing de Santander.[18] His season was quite unassuming, as he appeared in only 15 league matches without scoring and the Cantabrians narrowly avoided relegation.[19]

Later years

On 28 August 2010, García signed a one-year contract with Greek team Panathinaikos FC.[20] 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.[21]

File:Luisgarciapuebla.jpg
García playing for Puebla in 2011

On 1 July 2011, 33-year-old García signed with Mexican team Puebla FC.[22] On the 23rd he scored his first goal with La Franja, against Club Atlas.

In early June 2012, García signed for another club in the Liga MX, Club Universidad Nacional, joining alongside Martín Romagnoli for an undisclosed fee.[23] He made his official debut against Club Tijuana, playing 76 minutes.

On 14 January 2014, aged 35, García announced his retirement from football. He made the announcement on his official website, saying, "Today I've decided to retire as a professional footballer, thanks for the interest from the teams that spoke with me in recent weeks, but I think the time has come to end this important chapter in my life and move to the next page."[24]

García came out of retirement in July 2014, joining newly formed Indian Super League franchise Atlético de Kolkata as their Marquee player ahead of the league's inaugural season, the first of such players to join the league.[25] He started in the league's opening match, as his new team won 3–0 at home against Mumbai City FC;[26] on 21 November he had a wrongly disallowed goal in an eventual 1–2 loss at Kerala Blasters FC[27] but, despite finishing the regular season in third, Kolkata won the league final against the same opponent, although he was an unused substitute.[28] He also won the league's Manyavar Most Exciting Player award.[29]

Due to concerns over his injury record, García was not retained for the 2015 campaign.[30]

International career

After a productive first season with Liverpool, García made his debut for the Spanish national team on 26 March 2005, appearing in a 3–0 friendly win with China in Salamanca.[31] On 12 November of that year, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 home success against Slovakia for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs.[32]

García was then chosen as part of the nation's squad-of-23 for the finals in Germany. He started in wins against Ukraine and Tunisia, and was used as a substitute in the round-of-16 1–3 loss to France.

Career statistics

Club

As of 17 December 2014[33][34]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 1997–98 Segunda División B 36 15 6[lower-alpha 1] 3 42 18
1998–99 Segunda División B 37 10 37 10
Total 73 25 6 3 79 28
Valladolid (loan) 1999–2000 La Liga 6 0 2 0 8 0
Toledo (loan) 1999–2000 Segunda División 17 4 0 0 17 4
Tenerife (loan) 2000–01 Segunda División 40 16 1 0 41 16
Valladolid (loan) 2001–02 La Liga 25 7 4 3 29 10
Atlético Madrid 2002–03 La Liga 30 9 2 0 32 9
Barcelona 2003–04 La Liga 25 4 6 1 7[lower-alpha 2] 3 38 8
Liverpool 2004–05 Premier League 29 8 3 0 12[lower-alpha 3] 6 44 14
2005–06 Premier League 31 7 4 1 13[lower-alpha 3] 2 3[lower-alpha 4] 1 51 11
2006–07 Premier League 17 3 2 0 7[lower-alpha 3] 3 1[lower-alpha 5] 0 27 6
Total 77 18 9 1 32 11 4 1 122 31
Atlético Madrid 2007–08 La Liga 30 2 6 0 9[lower-alpha 2] 4 45 6
2008–09 La Liga 19 0 3 0 7[lower-alpha 3] 1 29 1
Total 49 2 9 0 16 5 74 7
Racing Santander 2009–10 La Liga 15 0 3 0 18 0
Panathinaikos 2010–11 Superleague Greece 18 2 1 0 6[lower-alpha 3] 0 25 2
Puebla 2011–12 Liga MX 33 14 0 0 33 14
UNAM 2012–13 Liga MX 20 2 7 4 27 6
2013–14 Liga MX 15 2 5 0 20 2
Total 35 4 12 4 47 8
Atlético Kolkata 2014 Indian Super League 13 2 13 2
Career total 431 107 49 9 61 19 5 1 546 136
  1. Appearances in Promotion play-offs
  2. 2.0 2.1 Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup
  5. Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

Spain
Year Apps Goals
2005 6 3
2006 12 1
2007 1 0
2008 1 0
Total 20 4

International goals

[32][35]

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 12 November 2005 Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain  Slovakia 1–0 5–1 2006 World Cup qualification
2. 12 November 2005 Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain  Slovakia 2–0 5–1 2006 World Cup qualification
3. 12 November 2005 Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain  Slovakia 4–1 5–1 2006 World Cup qualification
4. 2 September 2006 Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain  Liechtenstein 4–0 4–0 Euro 2008 qualifying

Honours

Club

Liverpool
Atlético Madrid
Atlético Kolkata

Individual

References

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  5. Barça buy back Luis García; UEFA.com, 1 July 2003
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  20. Luis Garcia set to complete Panathinaikos switch; Yahoo!, 28 August 2010
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  22. El internacional jugador español Luis García llega al Puebla de la Franja (Spanish international player Luis García Saenz arrives at Puebla de la Franja); Medio Tiempo, 1 July 2011 (Spanish)
  23. Pumas entrenó completo (Pumas trained in full); Central Deportiva, 4 June 2012 (Spanish)
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  36. AC Milan 3–3 Liverpool; at LFC History
  37. AC Milan 2–1 Liverpool; at LFC History
  38. Liverpool 3–1 CSKA Moscow; at LFC History
  39. Liverpool 3–3 West Ham United; at LFC History
  40. Garcia missed the 2006 FA Cup final due to suspension. However, additional medals are awarded by the FA.
  41. Liverpool 2–1 Chelsea; at LFC History

External links