 García in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Javier García Sanz[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-06-24)24 June 1978 (age 47)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Badalona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1988 | Badalona | ||
| 1988–1990 | Sant Gabriel | ||
| 1990–1997 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2002 | Barcelona B | 73 | (25) |
| 1998–2002 | 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 | 49 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Racing Santander | 15 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Panathinaikos | 18 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Puebla | 33 | (14) |
| 2012–2013 | UNAM | 35 | (4) |
| 2014 | Atlético Kolkata | 13 | (2) |
| 2016 | Central Coast Mariners | 10 | (2) |
| Total | 466 | (109) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Spain | 18 | (4) |
| 2001–2008 | Catalonia | 5 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luis Javier García Sanz (born 24 June 1978) is a Spanish former professionalfootballer who played as awinger.
He played professionally forBarcelona andAtlético Madrid in his homeland, amongst others – being brought up in the former's youth ranks – appearing abroad forLiverpool, with whom he won the2005 Champions League and the2006 FA Cup. Over the course of eight seasons, he amassedLa Liga totals of 150 games and 22 goals.
ASpain international for three years, García earned 18caps and represented the nation at the2006 World Cup.
Born inBadalona,Barcelona,Catalonia,[2] García began playing football with localBadalona at the age of 6, arriving atBarcelona'sacademy six years later from neighboursSant Gabriel.[3] After two successful seasons withtheir reserves, he left on loan forReal Valladolid,[4] where he made hisLa Liga debut on 22 August 1999 in a 1–0 away loss againstNumancia.[5] He finished the campaign atSegunda División'sToledo also on loan, his four goals not being enough to preventrelegation for theCastilla–La Mancha side;[6] on 18 August 1998, he had made his first competitive appearance for theBlaugrana, coming on as 78th-minutesubstitute forBoudewijn Zenden in a2–1 defeat atMallorca in theSupercopa de España.[7]
Subsequently, García played another year in the second tier, being instrumental inTenerife'spromotion by scoring 16 league goals under the guidance of managerRafael Benítez.[8] Loaned for the fourth time by Barcelona, he returned to Valladolid for2001–02, netting seven top-division goals in 25 matches, including two in a 5–1 away victory over Tenerife.[9]
In the2002–03 season, García was sold toAtlético 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.[10] He had another good year at theCamp Nou, helping the team to thesecond place in the league, five points behind championsValencia.[11]
García was signed by former Tenerife coach Benítez forLiverpool on 20 August 2004, on a five-year contract for a fee of£6 million. He was the fourth Spaniard the club acquired that summer[12] and, nine days after arriving, made hisPremier League debut in a 1–0 away loss toBolton Wanderers, where he had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out foroffside.[13] His first goal with his new club concluded a 3–0 victory overWest Bromwich Albion atAnfield on 11 September,[14] and he went on to net seven more times in the leaguethat season, including theheaded winner in theMerseyside derby againstEverton on 20 March 2005.[15]
García was also a key player in Liverpool'ssuccessful campaign in theUEFA Champions League, scoring winning goals againstJuventus andChelsea (a controversial one in the fourth minute, dubbed a "ghost goal" by Chelsea managerJosé Mourinho),[16] in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Having appeared inthe final againstAC Milan, he finished his first season inEnglish football with 13 goals in all competitions.[17]
García did not make so much of an impact in the2005–06 campaign, although he weighed in with some vital goals, including one against Chelsea to put them out of theFA Cup inthe semi-finals.[18] He was suspended forthe final victory overWest Ham United, having beensent off in a league game just days after his semi-final winner, against the same opposition.[19] Early into the season, he also scored the third goal in theReds'2005 UEFA Super Cup 3–1 final defeat ofCSKA Moscow.[20]
On 10 January 2007, following the6–3 defeat toArsenal in theLeague Cup which was his final game for Liverpool, it was announced that García had ruptured theanterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the game. He would be out for at least six months.[21]
His positive relationship with the fans was in great measure due to 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 drinksSangria/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 the100 Players Who Shook the Kop, García ranked 34th.[22] He totalled 30 goals in 122 competitive appearances during his tenure, with ten coming in the Champions League, five in the knockout stages of the 2005 triumph.[23]
In early July 2007, García joined his 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 forFernando Torres in the opposite direction. Nonetheless, these deals were conducted separately.[24]
García managed 30 appearances in hisfirst season, acting mainly as backup to Portugal'sSimão Sabrosa.[25] He played both matches against his former side Liverpool in thefollowing campaign's Champions League group stage; on 4 November 2008, he came on as a late substitute at Anfield to appreciative applause.[26] Duringthe league, however, he fell out of favour, sometimes not even making the list of 18.[27]
On 11 August 2009, García reached an agreement withRacing de Santander.[28]His season was quite unassuming, as he took part in just 18 games without scoring and theCantabrians narrowly avoided relegation.[29]
García signed a one-year contract with Greek clubPanathinaikos on 28 August 2010.[30] On 4 September, he flew back to Anfield to take part in Carragher'stestimonial match, scoring a goal in the second minute.[31] He returned to the Camp Nou ten days later, playing the last 20 minutes of a 5–1 loss in theChampions League group phase.[32][33]
On 1 July 2011, the 33-year-old García moved to Mexican teamPuebla.[34] He scored his first goal forLa Franja on the 24th, through apenalty kick away toAtlas (1–0).[35]
In early June 2012, García signed for another side in theLiga MX,UNAM, joining alongsideMartín Romagnoli for an undisclosed fee.[36] He made his official debut against Atlas, playing 34 minutes from the bench.[37]
García announced his retirement from football on 14 January 2014, aged 35. 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."[38]
García came out of retirement in July 2014, joining newly formedIndian Super League franchiseAtlético de Kolkata as theirmarquee player ahead of the league'sinaugural season, the first of such players to join the league.[39] He started in the league's opening match, as his new team won 3–0 at home againstMumbai City.[40] On 21 November he had a wrongly disallowed goal in an eventual 2–1 loss atKerala Blasters[41] but, despite finishing the regular season in third, Kolkata won theleague final against the same adversary, although he was an unused substitute;[42] he also won the league's Manyavar Most Exciting Player award.[43]
Due to concerns over his injury record, García was not retained for the2015 campaign.[44] On 16 January 2016, he signed forCentral Coast Mariners initially until the end ofthe campaign.[45] He made hisA-League debut one week later, coming off the bench and playing a role in his team's goal in a 2–1 home defeat toWestern Sydney Wanderers.[46] In the next match, againstWellington Phoenix, he was again brought in as a replacement, scoring once andsetting up two more in the 3–1 win.[47]
After a productive first season with Liverpool, García made his debut for theSpain national team on 26 March 2005, appearing in a 3–0friendly defeat ofChina inSalamanca.[48] On 12 November that year, he scored ahat-trick in a 5–1 home win overSlovakia for the2006 FIFA World Cupqualification play-offs.[49]
García was then chosen as part of the nation's squad-of-23 for the finals in Germany. He started in victories againstUkraine[50] andTunisia,[51] and was used as a substitute in theround-of-16 3–1 loss toFrance.[52]
Although naturally left-footed, García was skilled with both feet and had a good aerial game despite a small frame. He was also often deployed as asecond striker.[53]
After retiring, García worked as pundit forESPN andbeIN Sports, notably coveringUEFA Euro 2016 for the latter channel.[54][55]
| 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[a] | 3 | 42 | 18 | ||
| 1998–99 | Segunda División | 37 | 10 | — | — | — | 37 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 73 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 79 | 28 | ||
| Barcelona | 1998–99 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 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[c] | 3 | — | 38 | 8 | |
| Liverpool | 2004–05 | Premier League | 29 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 12[d] | 5 | — | 44 | 13 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 31 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 13[d] | 2 | 3[e] | 1 | 51 | 11 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 3 | 1[f] | 0 | 27 | 6 | |
| Total | 77 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 32 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 122 | 30 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2007–08 | La Liga | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9[c] | 4 | — | 45 | 6 | |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7[d] | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| Total | 49 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 7 | ||
| Racing Santander | 2009–10 | La Liga | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Panathinaikos | 2010–11 | Super League Greece | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 8 | ||
| Atlético Kolkata | 2014 | Indian Super League | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2015–16 | A-League | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 466 | 109 | 49 | 9 | 61 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 587 | 140 | ||
Appearances and goals by national team and year
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain[58] | 2005 | 6 | 3 |
| 2006 | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 4 | |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 November 2005 | Vicente Calderón Stadium,Madrid,Spain |  Slovakia | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification[49] |
| 2. | 2–0 | |||||
| 3. | 4–1 | |||||
| 4. | 2 September 2006 | Estadio Nuevo Vivero,Badajoz, Spain |  Liechtenstein | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying[59] |
Liverpool
Atlético Kolkata
Individual
