Luis García (footballer, born 1981)

Spanish footballer and manager

Luis García Fernández (ˈlwis ɣaɾˈθi. a feɾˈnandeθ; born 6 February 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently assistant manager of Qatar. Mainly a striker, he could also operate as a winger. Over nine seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 329 matches and 73 goals, mainly with Espanyol with whom he won one Copa del Rey and reached the 2007 UEFA Cup final. He also spent five in years in Belgium at the service of Eupen. García earned seven caps for Spain in the late 2000s.

García was born in Oviedo, Asturias. After representing three clubs as a youth he began his senior career with his last one, Real Madrid, first appearing with its C team then progressing in 2001 to Castilla in the Segunda División B. On 8 January 2003, García played his only official game for the main squad, as a late substitute for Esteban Cambiasso in the 3–3 draw away to Terrassa FC in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.

Released by Madrid in 2003, García joined Real Murcia, making his La Liga debut on 31 August and scoring a penalty in a 1–1 away draw against RC Celta de Vigo. He finished his first season with 11 goals and appeared in all the matches, although the side would be relegated; on 16 May 2004, he netted twice in a 2–1 fruitless home win over his former employers.

The following season, García produced similar numbers at RCD Mallorca, who barely avoided relegation after ranking 17th and, in summer 2005, signed a five year contract with RCD Espanyol, playing competitive 48 games in his debut campaign and adding 15 goals, including a brace in the 2006 Spanish Cup final, a 4–1 defeat of Real Zaragoza. In the ensuing summer, he extended his link until 2012. García, forming a formidable attacking partnership at the Catalans with youth graduate Raúl Tamudo (the pair combined for 68 league goals from 2005 to 2008), contributed five goals during their 2006–07 runner up run in the UEFA Cup, including a hat trick in a 23 November 2006 group stage 6–2 home win against S. V. Zulte Waregem. However, in the May final, he missed his penalty shootout attempt in a final loss to fellow Spaniards Sevilla FC. García was an everpresent figure for Espanyol until the end of his tenure, never making less than 36 appearances and scoring an average of seven goals, 13 alone in 2007–08.

On 31 August 2011 – the last day of the summer transfer window – the 30 year old García moved to Zaragoza on a three year deal. On 18 September, he scored twice against his former team and also missed a penalty kick in a 2–1 home victory. He would, however, only manage two in the other 33 fixtures of the season he appeared in (2,297 minutes of action), with the Aragonese again narrowly avoiding top flight relegation. García arrived to Monterrey on 5 July 2012 accompanied by his agent, to kickstart negotiations with Liga MX side Tigres UANL. On 15 September, he scored twice against Cruz Azul for a 2–0 win at the Estadio Universitario and, in two games in March of the following year, contributed one goal each in 2–1 wins over San Luis F. C. and Puebla FC.

In July 2014, García signed a two year contract with Belgian Second Division team K. A. S. Eupen, joining a host of compatriots including manager Tintín Márquez. He became captain of the Kehrwegstadion club, and signed for two more years after their promotion in June 2016. García was a key player over three Pro League seasons until his retirement in April 2019. The previous 28 October, he scored to open a 2–1 home win over R. S. C. Anderlecht.

After a remarkable 2006–07 with Espanyol, García got his first callup for Spain, under manager Luis Aragonés, appearing in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Latvia in Riga on 2 June 2007.

Immediately after retiring, García began working as a coach, being in charge of CF Damm's youths. In August 2022, after Real Madrid acquired RSC Internacional FC who became their third team, he was appointed manager. García moved straight to the top tier on 3 April 2023, taking over another club he represented as a player, Espanyol. On his debut five days later, the team lost 2–1 at home to Athletic Bilbao. They were relegated as 19th, thus returning to Segunda División after two years. They started the following season strongly, winning four of their first five matches; however, after just three wins in the following nine fixtures, he was dismissed. In December 2023, García joined the Qatar national side as Márquez's assistant.