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Rafael García (footballer, born 1974)

Mexican footballer and manager From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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José Rafael García Torres[a] (born 14 August 1974) is a Mexican former professional footballer and current manager.

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As a player, he was a participant in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea/Japan and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.[2]

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Club career

A midfielder comfortable in the center or on the left side, García began his club career with UNAM in 1992.[3] During the 1994–95 season, he established himself in the Pumas lineup, appearing in 32 matches and scoring 8 goals.[3] In the summer of 1998 he left for Toluca, beginning a six-year stint at the club. At Toluca, García won league titles during the Verano 1999,[4] Verano 2000,[5] and Apertura 2002[6] seasons, appearing in the finals on each occasion. Playing wide on the left alongside Fabián Estay and Víctor Ruiz in his early years with Toluca,[4] García later formed a central midfield trio with Israel López and Antonio Naelson.[6] In 2004, he moved to Cruz Azul, joined Atlas for one year in 2005, then returned to Cruz Azul briefly before finishing his top-division career in 2008 with Veracruz.[3]

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International career

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García also earned 52 caps for the Mexico national team, scoring three times.[7] He made his international debut on February 7, 1996, in a 2–1 loss against Chile.[8] In the 1996 U.S. Cup, he scored his first international goal with a bending free kick against the United States at the Rose Bowl.[9] García represented Mexico in four matches of the 1997 Copa América,[10] but missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After the appointment of Manuel Lapuente as national coach, García appeared at the 1999 Copa América[11] and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, which Mexico won.[12] Recalled to the team for the 2002 World Cup, he played 14 minutes in the opening-round match against Italy.[13] García remained in the team under new coach Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe, helping Mexico to victory in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup and scoring in the quarterfinal against Jamaica.[14] Although he also played in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup[15] and five qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,[16] he did not play any matches in the 2006 competition itself. García made his final international appearance in a 2–1 loss to the Netherlands on June 1, 2006.[17] New light has surfaced that nepotism was the reason why he participated in the World Cup games of 2006 as he is a relative of then Coach Ricardo La Volpe.[18]

At junior international levels, García competed for Mexico at the 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship and 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship,[16] as well as the 1996 Summer Olympics.[19]

International goals

Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first.[20]
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Honours

Toluca

Mexico

Individual

Notes

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

References

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