_(cropped).jpg) García withTrinidad and Tobago at the2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Levi Samuel García[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-11-20)20 November 1997 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Flora,Trinidad,Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Shiva Boys' Hindu College | ||
| 2012–2013 | T&TEC | ||
| 2013–2014 | Siparia Spurs | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | T&TEC | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Central FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | AZ | 29 | (2) |
| 2016–2018 | →Jong AZ | 17 | (7) |
| 2018 | →Excelsior (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 20 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Beitar Jerusalem | 30 | (5) |
| 2020–2025 | AEK Athens | 126 | (44) |
| 2025– | Spartak Moscow | 25 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Trinidad and Tobago U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Trinidad and Tobago U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2016– | Trinidad and Tobago | 47 | (10) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 December 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 November 2025 | |||
Levi Samuel García (born 20 November 1997)[2] is a Trinidadian professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forRussian Premier League clubSpartak Moscow and theTrinidad and Tobago national team.
García began hisprofessional football career in2013, at the age of 15, withT&TEC in his nativeTrinidad and Tobago. After one season with theElectricity Boys, he completed a free transfer to fellowTT Pro League clubCentral FC. However, prior to making his first-team debut for theCouva Sharks, Garcia signed withAZ Alkmaar of theEredivisie in February 2015.[3] After spending two years inIsrael, García moved to AEK Athens in 2020.
Considered one of the best footballers of the Greek league during his spell inGreece and able to play both as a winger and as a centre forward, García has been appraised for his muscle, his fitness, his dribbling, his tactical prowess and his exceptionally high jumping.[4][5][6][7]
García was born on 20 November 1997 inSanta Flora, Trinidad and Tobago to parents Carl and Judith,[8] and comes from a football family consisting of three brothers (Daniel,Nathaniel, andJudah) who have represented different local clubs and two sisters (Carla and Adanna) who are also fans of thesport. In fact, the three brothers would play football in their backyard for hours when younger. In particular, García credits his early football influence to his eldest brother Daniel after he encouraged Levi to become a better player and rented a car or ordered a taxi to ensure that he attended youth training and matches.[9][10] His cousinIsaiah Garcia is also a footballer.[11]
At the age of 14, García attended Shiva Boys' Hindu College inPenal, Trinidad and also enrolled in the youth program at formerTT Pro League clubT&TEC. However, after one season with theElectricity Boys, the club suspended its football operations citing financial difficulties.[12] Over the next two years, Garcia played alternatively for Shiva Boys' Hindu College and local youth club Siparia Spurs.[3] In 2012, playing as astriker, García led Shiva Boys to the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) South Zone title and qualified as one of four schools for theFA Trophy. During the competition, Garcia scored one goal in three appearances to help the Shiva Boys progress in the competition before falling toCentral FC in the quarterfinals.[13]
After spending the previous year in the club's youth program, García made his full professional debut forT&TEC of theTT Pro League, at the age of 15, after making appearances during the club's run-in to close the2012–13 season. Due to the club's severe financial struggles and inability to pay its salaried players,Electricity Boys' manager Dexter Cyrus decided to feature some of its younger players, which included the three Garcia brothers, in Pro League matches.
In March 2014, García signed his first professional contract withCentral FC of theTT Pro League on a two-year agreement.[14] However, prior to his first appearance for the club, he was discovered in September 2014 while playing forTrinidad and Tobago duringqualification for the2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship byDutch agent Humphry Nijman. After an initial struggle between Central and Nijman, the two parties came to an agreement through mediation involving theTrinidad and Tobago Football Association to allow Garcia participate for a trial in theNetherlands.[15]
García has great speed, a good understanding and a powerful shot in his left foot[...] Levi arrives in November to AZ, where he first must ease into our culture and way of playing football. We see in him mainly a promise for the future.
— Earnie Stewart on signing García to a contract withAZ in February 2015.[3]
On 20 February 2015, García signed a pre-contract agreement for three years with a club option for a two-year extension withAZ Alkmaar of theEredivisie following a successful trial with the club.[3][16] However, he was unable to begin his professional career until his eighteenth birthday due to existingEuropean Unionlabour laws. After several months of difficult negotiations, Garcia's former clubCentral FC agreed upon an undisclosed transfer fee in June 2015 with AZ.
During the club's preparation for the2015–16 season, García received training and special attention from formerDutchinternationalMarco Van Basten who had served as an assistant manager for the club earlier in the year before stepping away for health reasons.[17] On 24 January 2016, García made his professional and league debut forAZ Alkmaar againstFeyenoord after coming on forDabney dos Santos in the 68th minute with his club leading 4–1.[18] Aged just 18 years and 65 days, García became the youngestTrinidadian footballer to make an appearance for a European club, beating a record previously held by formerAston Villa strikerDwight Yorke.[19][20] One week later, he scored his first professional goal in less than a minute after coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in a 3–0 win overNEC Nijmegen to become the club's second youngest ever scorer.[21][22] In his first season atAZ, García made eight league appearances and nine in all competitions having scored one league goal and recording one assist to help AZ finish fourth in theEredivisie and qualify for the2016–17 UEFA Europa League.
After having played forJong AZ for most of the first half of the 2017–18 season, struggling to make first team appearances, García was sent out on loan toExcelsior Rotterdam, another Eredivisie club, for the remainder of the season.
In May 2018, with his Alkmaar contract due to expire at the end of the season, it was announced García would joinIsraeli Premier League sideIroni Kiryat Shmona for the 2018–19 season.[23]
On 30 May 2019, García signed toBeitar Jerusalem.[24]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: hat-trick in conference league. You can help byadding missing information.(June 2025) |
On 14 September 2020,AEK Athens signed the 22-year-old international by offeringBeitar Jerusalem €2.6 million to acquire 60% of García's rights, plus bonuses.[25][26] On 27 September 2020, he scored the opening goal of the 3–0 win of AEK Athens againstLamia on his league debut.[27]
On 13 December 2020, García scored with a direct corner kick in a 4–3 away win againstApollon Smyrnis.[28] On 14 January 2021, García scored with a direct free-kick to give his team a 1–0 away win againstAris Thessaloniki.[29] On 20 January 2021, he came in off the bench and sealed a 2–0 home win againstApollon Smyrnis for the first leg of theGreek Cup round of 16.[30]
On 28 February 2021, he scored in a 1–1 away draw againstPanathinaikos.[31]
His first two seasons inGreece weren't as productive as anticipated, butMatías Almeyda's appointment as the club's new coach at the start of2022–23 season was crucial to his resurgence. Under the guidance of the Argentine, Levi transformed into a great striker, exploiting his speed and physical qualities. His adaptability and performances have been praised and as a result various clubs, includingVillarreal andCeltic, are both keeping tabs on him, whileAEK Athens are not willing to accept anything less than €15,000,000.[32]
On 2 August 2023, García signed a new contract withAEK Athens, running until the summer of 2028.[33] His new contract will see him receive a fee of €1,2 million per year, thus ending the efforts ofLens to acquire him.[34]
On 7 February 2025, García signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Russian clubSpartak Moscow.[35]
García has representedTrinidad and Tobago on various levels of international competition, having beencapped for theunder-17,[36]under-20,[37] and thesenior team.[38]
He made his international debut for theunder-17 team after replacing Brent Sam in the second half of their final match to help theSoca Warriors earnqualification for the2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.[36] During the continental tournament, he made two consecutive starts in a loss toCanada and in a 2–0 win againstCosta Rica to advance to the knockout round.[39][40] However, following a 4–2 loss to hostsPanama, theSoca Warriors fell one win short of qualifying for the2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[41]
In September 2014, García represented theunder-20 team in central midfield en route to winning the2014 Caribbean Under-20 Championship and qualifying for the2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[37][42][43] Although he made four appearances during the CONCACAF Championship and impressed severalEuropean scouts, theSoca Warriors finished a disappointing fourth in their group with just one win and failed to qualify for the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
García made his full international debut for thenational team on 25 March 2016 againstSaint Vincent and the Grenadines duringqualification for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[38] García marked his national team debut with a pair of goals in the second half to lead theSoca Warriors to a 3–2 win.[44][45] Garcia's goals made himTrinidad and Tobago's youngest ever scorer in aFIFA World Cup qualification match at 18 years and 127 days old.[46] Two months later, he made an additional two appearances for theSoca Warriors in losses againstPeru andUruguay.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AZ | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[c] | 1 | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | 43 | 4 | |||
| Excelsior (Ioan) | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona | 2018–19 | Israeli Premier League | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| Beitar Jerusalem | 2019–20 | Israeli Premier League | 30 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 40 | 6 | |
| AEK Athens | 2020–21 | Super League Greece | 26 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
| 2021–22 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 39 | 8 | |||
| 2022–23 | 31 | 14 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 37 | 18 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[e] | 1 | 27 | 14 | |||
| 2024–25 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 5 | 22 | 10 | |||
| Total | 126 | 44 | 19 | 6 | — | 15 | 6 | 160 | 56 | |||
| Spartak Moscow | 2024–25 | Russian Premier League | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | Russian Premier League | 14 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 18 | 6 | |||
| Total | 25 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | 33 | 9 | ||||
| Career total | 246 | 60 | 37 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 318 | 79 | ||
| National team | Year | Friendly | Competitive | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Trinidad and Tobago | ||||||||
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 2[a] | ||
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0[b] | ||
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[c] | ||
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0[d] | ||
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 5 | ||
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||
| Total | 7 | 4 | 40 | 6 | 47 | 10 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 March 2016 | Arnos Vale Stadium,Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2 | 3–2 | ||||||
3 | 25 March 2021 | Estadio Panamericano,San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic | 28 |  Guyana | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
4 | 25 March 2022 | Hasely Crawford Stadium,Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 32 |  Barbados | 1–0 | 9–0 | Friendly |
5 | 3–0 | ||||||
6 | 4–0 | ||||||
7 | 29 March 2022 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 33 | Guyana | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
8 | 10 June 2022 | Arnos Vale Stadium,Arnos Vale, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 36 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League B |
9 | 6 June 2025 | Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 46 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1–0 | 6–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
10 | 10 June 2025 | Estadio Nacional,San José, Costa Rica | 47 |  Costa Rica | 1–2 | 1–2 |
Beitar Jerusalem
AEK Athens
Trinidad and Tobago U20
Individual
Trinidad and Tobago squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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