Luis Javier García Sanz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Luis García | ||
 Luis García playing for Liverpool |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Javier García Sanz | |
| Date of birth | June 24, 1978 | |
| Place of birth | Badalona, Catalonia, Spain | |
| Height | 5 ft 7 (1.69 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward, Right Winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Atlético Madrid | |
| Number | 9 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997–1999 1999–2002 1999–2000 2000–2001 2002–2003 2003–2004 2004–2007 2007– |
FC Barcelona B Real Valladolid → CD Toledo (loan) → CD Tenerife (loan) Atlético Madrid [1] FC Barcelona Liverpool Atlético Madrid |
72 (25) 31 (7) 17 (4) 40 (16) 30 (9) 25 (4) 78 (18) 28 (2) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005– | Spain | 18 (4) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Luis Javier García Sanz (born June 24, 1978 in Badalona, Spain), commonly known as Luis García, is a Spanish football player. Currently playing for Atlético Madrid (Spain), his favourite form of celebration is sucking his thumb in dedication to his first-born son, Joel. He is most famous for his Liverpool days where he played a pivotal role in the club's Champions League triumph in 2005.
Contents |
[edit] 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. Although naturally left footed, 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.
He has played for a number of other clubs previous to his move to Atlético Madrid namely: CD Tenerife, FC Barcelona and Real Valladolid, in La Liga; and Liverpool FC in The Premiership
[edit] Liverpool F.C.
Garcia was 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 replacement for El Hadji Diouf, in the attacking midfield role. He proved much more than a stand-in, and became 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[2]), 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 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 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 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.
[edit] Relationship with fans
With his ability as a match-winner, underlined with crucial goals against Juventus and Chelsea, the former Liverpool number 10 has become a clear fan favouite. 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 honor, to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine." The lyrics are these: "Luis Garcia, he drinks Sangria, he came from Barca (Barcelona) to bring us joy! He's five foot seven, he's football heaven. So please don't take our Luis away!" Garcia ranked 24th 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 August 21st 2007 liverpoolfc.tv published a letter from Luis to the fans to say goodbye and thank them. Garcia later revealed that he wanted to return to Spain at some point and play for Atlético, and on July 2 his agent revealed that a deal was being put in place for a permanent transfer. Garcia signed for around £4m.
Rumours currently abound that Garcia will rejoin Liverpool in the summer of 2008 after admitting that he keeps in touch with Rafa Benitez over his fitness levels, and his failure to secure a starting place at Atletico Madrid.
[edit] Personal life
García is married to Raquel and has a son named Joel. Luis Garcia has also advertised H&M men's suits and Umbro football boots.
[edit] Statistics
| 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 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 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 | 292 | 83 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 356 | 102 | |
[edit] Honours
- Liverpool
- 2004–05 UEFA Champions League
- 2005 European Super Cup
- 2005–06 FA Cup [3]
- 2006 Community Shield
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Luis García FIFA competition record
- Luis García career stats at Soccerbase
- Official Liverpool Player Profile
- Goal.com profile
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sanz, Luis Javier García |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | García, Luis |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | footballer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1978-6-24 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Badalona, Catalonia, Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
