Luis García (footballer, born 1978)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Javier García Sanz | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.69 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, right winger, left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Liverpool | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2006 | |||
Luis Javier García Sanz (born June 24 1978 in Badalona, Spain), commonly known as Luis García, is a Spanish football player. He currently plays for Liverpool and wears the number 10 jersey. His favourite form of celebration is sucking his thumb. This is dedicated to his first-born son, Joel.
Playing Career
Garcia plays in the the "hole" position behind the striker and in front of the midfielders. He quickly earned a reputation in England as a player of remarkable skills, but this talent was qualified by his tendency to lose the ball in dangerous positions. His ability to kick confidently with both feet makes him an extremely versatile attacker, deployable on both flanks, as well as behind strikers. Despite his small frame, he has also shown a great ability to head the ball, with some of his most impressive goals coming in the air. jesse ozuna jugaba para club america en el 200 CD Tenerife, Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid, in La Liga before being signed by Rafael Benítez for Liverpool in August 2004 for a fee of £6 million (Benítez coached him when they were at Tenerife together). He was bought essentially as a cut-price replacement for El Hadji Diouf, in the attacking midfield role. He has proved much more than a stand-in, and has become a key component of Liverpool's attacking unit. He made his Premiership debut against Bolton Wanderers on 29 August 2004, a game that Liverpool lost 1–0, 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 2004. 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 successful 2005 Champions League campaign, netting the winning goals against Juventus (an unstoppable left footed shot which curled over Gianluigi Buffon, one of the best goals in the competition) and Chelsea (a controversial goal in the fourth minute), in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. He took part in the Champions league final victory over A.C. Milan on 25 May 2005, finishing with an excellent 13 goals in all competitions in his first season in English football.
García did not make so much of an impact in the 2005-06 season, although he has weighed in with some vital goals, not least the impressive, lofted finish against Chelsea to put them out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals. García was suspended for the 2006 FA Cup win against West Ham, having been sent off in a Premier League game just days after his semi-final winner, ironically against West Ham, Liverpool's opponents in the final.
On 10 January, 2007 following the 3-6 loss to Arsenal in the Carling Cup, it was confirmed by the club that Garcia had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the game, and would be out for at least six months, ruling him out for the rest of the 2006-7 season[2]. Garcia underwent an operation on Saturday 13 January at the Clinica del Pilar in Barcelona, under surgeon Ramon Cugat, who has previously operated on Samuel Eto'o and Xavi[3].
Other Information
Garcia ranked 24th in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop online poll, with Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler the only current squad players ranked higher.
Luis Garcia has also advertised H&M men's suits and Umbro football boots.
Relationship with fans
Replacing Anfield star Michael Owen as Liverpool 'number 10' was always going to be tough for a new signing, and despite an inconsistent first season, García firmly became a fan favourite. While many considered him a frustrating player for losing the ball often, they recognised his ability as a match-winner, underlined with superb goals against Juventus and Chelsea; he has been something of a bogeyman for the latter, with decisive goals against them in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg and the 2005–06 FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, though he has never scored against Chelsea in the league. His positive relationship with the fans is 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"
Despite what the lyrics suggest, Luis García is actually five foot ten. He is Liverpool's top goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League (Since the European Cup was reformatted).
Personal life
He's currently married to Raquel and has a son named Joel.
Honours as player
With Liverpool
- 2004–05 UEFA Champions League
- 2005–06 European Super Cup
- 2005–06 FA Cup [4]
- 2006–07 Community Shield
Married to Magdalena and his children Luis!
Statistics
correct as of 1 November 2006
| Club | Season | Premiership | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Liverpool FC | 2006–07 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 6 |
| 2005–06 | 31 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 11 | |
| 2004–05 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 13 | |
| Club | Season | La Liga | Spanish Cup | — | Europe | Others | Total | ||||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| FC Barcelona | 2003–04 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 8 |
| Atlético Madrid | 2002–03 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 9 |
| FC Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Real Valladolid | 2001–02 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10 |
| CD Tenerife (loan) | 2000–01 | 40 | 16 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 16 |
| Real Valladolid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| CD Toledo (loan) | 1999–00 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| Real Valladolid | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| FC Barcelona B | 1998–99 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 10 |
| 1997–98 | 36 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 15 | |
| Total | 286 | 83 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 347 | 102 | |
Notes and references
- ^ Barça buy back Luis García, UEFA, 1 July 2003
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/6249279.stm
- ^ http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=441500&CPID=8&clid=14&lid=&title=Garcia+goes+under+the+knife
- ^ Garcia missed the 2006 FA Cup final due to suspension. However, additional medals are awarded by the FA.
External links
- Luis García at Soccerbase
- Official Liverpool Player Profile
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