Javi García

Not to be confused with Javi Gracia or Javi García (footballer, born 1977).

Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ ˈxaβi ɣaɾˈθi.a feɾˈnandeθ]; born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who is an assistant manager for Benfica. A defensive midfielder by nature, he could also appear as a central defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Fernández.

Javi García

García playing for Zenit in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Francisco Javier García Fernández[1]
Date of birth	(1987-02-08) 8 February 1987 (age 37)[2]
Place of birth	Mula, Spain
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Benfica (assistant)
Youth career
1996–2004	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Real Madrid B	86	(10)
2004–2007	Real Madrid	3	(0)
2007–2008	Osasuna	25	(2)
2008–2009	Real Madrid	15	(0)
2009–2012	Benfica	74	(6)
2012–2014	Manchester City	53	(2)
2014–2017	Zenit Saint Petersburg	73	(6)
2017–2020	Betis	53	(1)
2020–2022	Boavista	39	(2)
Total		421	(29)
International career
2002	Spain U16	3	(1)
2003–2005	Spain U17	21	(4)
2005–2006	Spain U19	9	(2)
2007	Spain U20	5	(1)
2008–2009	Spain U21	9	(0)
2012–2013	Spain	2	(0)
Managerial career
2022–	Benfica (assistant)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain FIFA U-17 World Cup Runner-up 2003 Finland UEFA European Under-17 Championship Runner-up 2004 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He started his career with Real Madrid, but represented mostly the reserve team, going on to have a three-year spell with Benfica in Portugal. In 2012 he signed with Manchester City, then spent a further three seasons in the Russian Premier League with Zenit Saint Petersburg where he appeared in 108 matches across all competitions. He returned to Spain with Betis in 2017 and retired at Boavista.

García represented Spain at various youth levels, including the victorious under-19s at the 2006 European Championship, and made his senior international debut in 2012.

Club career

Real Madrid

A product of Real Madrid's youth system, García was born in Mula, Region of Murcia, and played three La Liga matches for the first team while still a junior, making his debut at age 17 in a 5–0 home win against Levante on 28 November 2004.^[3] After that, he would spend the entire 2005–06 season with the reserves in Segunda División.

The summer of 2006 was a very busy one for García: first, he won the UEFA European Championship with the under-19s,^[4] impressing first-team head coach Fabio Capello who recalled him to training sessions. He played most of Real's pre-season games, including a starting line-up spot in both Ramón de Carranza Trophy fixtures, being deployed in central midfield alongside new purchase Emerson;^[5] however, he failed to appear for the main squad in official matches.

In August 2007, in the campaign of García's supposed definitive promotion to the first team, head coach Bernd Schuster would eventually prevent that golden opportunity – as fellow cantera players Rubén de la Red and Esteban Granero also left – and offers began to appear from clubs in the Premier League, including Liverpool, and domestic teams such as Atlético Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruña. García would finally settle for Osasuna on 31 August, signing for four seasons for a €2.5 million transfer fee as the Navarre side was keen to replace injury-struck midfielder Javad Nekounam (out of action for several months);^[6] having first appeared in a 1–1 home draw to Sevilla, where he played one minute, he scored twice in his first six matches, in victories over Levante (4–1)^[7] and Villarreal (3–2).^[8]

García's contract included a buy-back clause that could see him return to Real Madrid for €4 million. On 29 April 2008, Osasuna officially reported that the former had exercised their purchase option, and the player returned to the Santiago Bernabéu for 2008–09;^[9] he made his first league appearance for Real in his second spell during the 7–1 thrashing of Sporting de Gijón on 24 September, coming on as a second-half substitute for Mahamadou Diarra.^[10]

Benfica

García (left) challenging Rio Ave's Tiago Pinto in 2011

Deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, García signed for Benfica in Portugal on 21 July 2009 on a five-year contract for a €7 million transfer fee.^[11] An undisputed starter throughout his first season he also scored three goals, most notably through a header in the last minute for the game's only goal against Associação Naval 1º de Maio at home,^[12] as the club clung onto the top position on 9 November and eventually won the Primeira Liga.^[13]

García made 43 competitive appearances in 2011–12. His two goals of the campaign came against Sporting CP in the Lisbon derby 1–0 home win,^[14] and at Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League – in the latter, he netted off a corner kick in the 85th minute to make it 1–1, but ten-men Benfica eventually lost 2–1 and 3–1 on aggregate.^[15]

Manchester City

On 31 August 2012, García joined Manchester City for £15.8 million.^[16][17] He made his Premier League debut on 15 September in a 1–1 away draw to Stoke City, scoring with a header from a Carlos Tevez free-kick.^[18]

After picking up a thigh injury in the early minutes of the Champions League group stage fixture against Borussia Dortmund, García missed several weeks of action.^[19] He made his return against West Ham United, replacing Tevez in the 84th minute of a 0–0 draw at Upton Park.^[20] On 15 December, he started in a 3–1 victory at Newcastle United and scored his side's second goal.^[21]

Zenit Saint Petersburg

On 13 August 2014, Zenit Saint Petersburg announced the £13 million signing of García after he passed the medical and agreed to personal terms.^[22] He scored his first goal for his new team 18 days later, the only in an away win over Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League.^[23]

García played 24 matches in the 2014–15 season, scoring three times as the side won the fifth national championship in their history (fourth under the tournament's new denomination).^[24]

Betis

On 14 August 2017, the 30-year-old García returned to Spain after eight years to join Real Betis.^[25] He appeared in 64 total games for the team from the Estadio Benito Villamarín over three seasons, scoring once in a 3–1 away win against Alavés on 12 March 2018^[26] and being sent off the following 10 February in a 3–0 loss at Leganés.^[27]

García signed a new two-year contract with the Andalusians on 5 July 2019.^[28]

Boavista

After mutually terminating his contract with Betis, García went back to Portugal's top flight by joining Boavista on a three-year deal on 19 August 2020.^[29][30] He scored his first goal for the team on 25 October in a 2–2 draw at Famalicão, in which he was sent off.^[31]

On 22 June 2022, the 35-year-old García retired. Remaining in Portugal, he immediately went back to Benfica and joined the staff of new manager Roger Schmidt.^[32]

International career

García represented the Spain national under-21 team at the 2009 UEFA European Championship, appearing against England (2–0 loss)^[33] in an eventual group stage exit. He earned his first cap for the full side on 26 May 2012, playing 22 minutes in a 2–0 friendly win over Serbia in St. Gallen.^[34]

Career statistics

Club

^[35][36]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Real Madrid	2004–05	La Liga	3	0	4	0	—		0	0	7	0
	2005–06	La Liga	0	0	0	0	—		1	0	1	0
	2006–07	La Liga	0	0	2	0	—		1	0	3	0
	Total		3	0	6	0	0	0	2	0	11	0
Osasuna	2007–08	La Liga	25	2	0	0	—		—		25	2
Real Madrid	2008–09	La Liga	15	0	2	0	1	0	3	0	21	0
Benfica	2009–10	Primeira Liga	26	3	0	0	4	0	14	1	44	4
	2010–11	Primeira Liga	24	2	3	1	4	4	13	1	44	8
	2011–12	Primeira Liga	22	1	1	0	1	0	12	1	36	2
	Total		72	6	4	1	9	4	39	3	124	14
Manchester City	2012–13	Premier League	24	2	4	0	0	0	5	0	33	2
	2013–14	Premier League	29	0	4	0	6	0	8	0	47	0
	Total		53	2	8	0	6	0	13	0	80	2
Zenit Saint Petersburg	2014–15	Russian Premier League	24	3	1	0	—		11	0	36	3
	2015–16	Russian Premier League	26	2	6	1	—		6	0	38	3
	2016–17	Russian Premier League	22	1	2	0	—		7	0	31	1
	2017–18	Russian Premier League	1	0	—		—		2	0	3	0
	Total		73	6	9	1	0	0	26	0	108	7
Betis	2017–18	La Liga	32	1	1	0	—		—		33	1
	2018–19	La Liga	13	0	4	0	—		5	0	22	0
	2019–20	La Liga	8	0	1	0	—		—		9	0
	Total		53	1	6	0	0	0	5	0	64	1
Boavista	2020–21	Primeira Liga	21	1	2	0	0	0	—		23	1
	2021–22	Primeira Liga	18	1	1	0	2	0	—		21	1
	Total		39	2	3	0	2	0	0	0	44	2
Career total			333	19	38	2	18	4	88	3	477	27

Honours

Real Madrid B

• Segunda División B: 2004–05^[37]

Real Madrid

• Supercopa de España: 2008^[38]

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2009–10^[39]
• Taça da Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12^[39]

Manchester City

• Premier League: 2013–14^[40]
• Football League Cup: 2013–14^[41]
• FA Cup runner-up: 2012–13^[42]

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Russian Premier League: 2014–15^[43]
• Russian Cup: 2015–16^[43]
• Russian Super Cup: 2015, 2016^[43]

Spain U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2006^[44]

References

1. "Barclays Premier League squad numbers 2013/14". Premier League. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
2. "Francisco Javier García Fernández" (in Spanish). Real Betis. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
3. Real Madrid 5–0 Levante Archived 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine; ESPN Soccernet, 28 November 2004
4. García shoulders Spanish burden; UEFA, 14 July 2006
5. Torres, Diego (20 August 2006). "Capello y sus 'guerreros' caen ante el Villarreal en el Carranza" [Capello and his 'warriors' fall to Villarreal in the Carranza] (in Spanish). El País. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
6. Aguilera, Rafa (30 August 2007). "Osasuna ficha a Javi García" [Osasuna sign Javi García] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
7. Osasuna 4–1 Levante; ESPN Soccernet, 26 September 2007
8. Osasuna 3–2 Villarreal; ESPN Soccernet, 7 October 2007
9. El Real Madrid recompra a Javi García (Real Madrid rebuy Javi García) Archived 5 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine; CA Osasuna, 29 April 2008 (Spanish)
10. Real Madrid 7–1 Sporting Gijón; ESPN Soccernet, 24 September 2008
11. "Benfica confirma à CMVM contratação de Javi Garcia por cinco anos" [Benfica confirm signing of Javi Garcia for five years to PSMC] (in Portuguese). TSF. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
12. Benfica move back into tie for first place; PortuGOAL, 9 November 2009
13. Lopes, Gonçalo; Silva Pires, Tiago (9 May 2010). "Benfica conquista o 32.º título da história" [Benfica conquer 32nd title in history] (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
14. Javi Garcia heads Benfica to derby victory; PortuGOAL, 26 November 2011
15. Chelsea 2–1 Benfica; BBC Sport, 4 April 2012
16. "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
17. Javi Garcia completes move to Blues Archived 27 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine; Manchester City, 31 August 2012
18. Stoke 1–1 Manchester City; BBC Sport, 15 September 2012
19. "Best is yet to come says Garcia". Manchester City F.C. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
20. West Ham 0–0 Man City; BBC Sport, 3 November 2012
21. Johnston, Neil (15 December 2012). "Manchester City bounced back from the disappointment of losing the Manchester derby with a stylish victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
22. Jackson, Jamie (12 August 2014). "Manchester City's Javi García set to join Zenit St Petersburg for £13m". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
23. Lokomotiv Moscow 0–1 Zenit St Petersburg; ESPN FC, 31 August 2014
24. "Zenit de Villas-Boas é campeão da Rússia" [Villas-Boas' Zenit are Russian champions] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
25. Хави Гарсия продолжит карьеру в Испании [Javi García will continue his career in Spain] (in Russian). FC Zenit. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
26. "Betis beat Alaves thanks to Lorenzo Moron brace". Belfast Telegraph. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
27. García, Miguel Ángel (10 February 2019). "En-Nesyri destroza al Betis" [En-Nesyri destroys Betis] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
28. "El Real Betis y Javi García amplían su vinculación hasta 2021" [Real Betis and Javi García extend their link until 2021] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
29. "Javi García é reforço do Boavista" [Javi García is a Boavista addition] (in Portuguese). Record. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
30. "OFICIAL: Boavista confirma Javi García" [OFFICIAL: Boavista confirm Javi García] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
31. "VAR, penálti, golaços e ainda uma expulsão: um minuto que resume o Famalicão-Boavista" [VAR, penalty, wondergoals and even a sending-off: a minute that recounts Famalicão-Boavista] (in Portuguese). O Jogo. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
32. Silva, Flávio Miguel (22 June 2022). "Javi García anuncia final de carreira: "Veremo-nos em breve"" [Javi García announces end of career: "We'll see each other soon"] (in Portuguese). Record. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
33. Haslam, Andrew (18 June 2009). "Second-half strikes see England through". UEFA. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
34. Villalobos, Fran (26 May 2012). "Adrián está listo para la Eurocopa" [Adrián is ready for Euro] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
35. "Javi García". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
36. Javi García at ESPN FC
37. Calderón, J. L. (30 May 2012). "El último Castilla en subir ha dado siete internacionales" [Last Castilla to promote has given seven internationals] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
38. "El Valencia gana al Real Madrid pero la Supercopa se decidirá en el Bernabéu (3–2)" [Valencia beat Real Madrid but the Supercup will be decided at the Bernabéu (3–2)] (in Spanish). 20 minutos. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
39. "Javi Garcia na órbita do Bordéus" [Bordeaux tracking Javi Garcia] (in Portuguese). Diário Desportivo. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
40. "Javi García: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
41. McNulty, Phil (2 March 2014). "Manchester City 3–1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
42. McNulty, Phil (11 May 2013). "Man City 0–1 Wigan". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
43. Morán, Miguel Ángel (18 August 2017). "Javi García, el coleccionista de títulos" [Javi García, the title collector] (in Spanish). Marca. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
44. Díaz Rubio, Julián. "European U-19 Championship 2006". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 July 2018.

External links

• Javi García at BDFutbol
• Javi García at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Javi García at Soccerbase
• Javi García at National-Football-Teams.com
• Javi García – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Javi García – UEFA competition record (archive)