From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Luis García
Personal information
Full name	Luis Javier García Sanz
Date of birth	June 24, 1978 (1978-06-24) (age 30)
Place of birth	Badalona, Catalonia, Spain
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Second Striker, Left Winger
Club information
Current club	Atlético Madrid
Number	9
Youth clubs
1994–1997	FC Barcelona Youth
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) 35 0(10) 17 0(4) 41 (16) 30 0(9) 38 0(8) 77 (18) 37 0(4)
National team2
2005–	Spain	18 0(4)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:19, 05 January 2008 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of October 21, 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

This is a Spanish name; the first family name is García and the second is Sanz.

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, 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.

[edit] Playing career

García plays in 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.

García 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 August 29, 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 March 20, 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 May 25, 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 January 10, 2007 following the 3-6 loss to Arsenal in the Carling Cup, it was confirmed by the club that García 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 favourite. 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 García, 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 21 2007 liverpoolfc.tv published a letter from Luis to the fans to say goodbye and thank them. García 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. García signed for around £4m. His transfer was negotiated between the two clubs around the same time that they were negotiating the transfer of Fernando Torres, in the opposite direction. Although the players' transfers took place roughly around the same time, both deals were separate.

[edit] Personal life

García is married to Raquel and has a son named Joel. Luis García has also advertised H&M men's suits and Umbro football boots.

[edit] Statistics

correct as of October 21, 2008

[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

v • d • e Spain squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Casillas • 2 Salgado • 3 Pernía • 4 Marchena • 5 Puyol • 6 Albelda • 7 Raúl • 8 Xavi • 9 F. Torres • 10 Reyes • 11 Luis García • 12 Antonio López • 13 A. Iniesta • 14 Xabi Alonso • 15 Sergio Ramos • 16 Senna • 17 Joaquín • 18 C. Fàbregas • 19 Cañizares • 20 Juanito • 21 David Villa • 22 Pablo Ibáñez • 23 Reina • Coach: Aragonés