Spanish footballer Garcia Luis has always been associated with the Liverpool club. King Louis, as his fans called him, has changed many clubs during his long career as a player, but he is most remembered by the average game lover in a red T-shirt. However, this is not surprising, because the three seasons spent for the “Merseysiders” were the most striking in his football biography.
early years
Garcia Sans Luis Javier (that’s how the player’s full name sounds) became interested in football, barely starting to walk. At the age of 6, he was already on the youth team of the little-known Spanish club Badalona, and at the age of 16 he was not somewhere else, but in the youth of the Catalan Barcelona. There, in 1998, the attacking midfielder began his professional career, but did not hold a single match for “blaugranas”. In search of playing practice, Luis Garcia replaced several Spanish clubs (Tenerife, Valladolid and others), where he managed to prove himself and attract the interest of local giants for the second time. In 2002, the player acquired Atletico Madrid, as part of which the midfielder played the season with virtually no substitutions and scored 9 times for scored goals.
Golden times
Before moving to Foggy Albion in 2004, Luis Garcia returned to Barca for one year. After spending one season in the “blue-garnet” season, the Spanish midfielder showed quite an interesting and strong football, but failed to gain a foothold in the composition of the grand. But Garcia came to the attention of Liverpool scouts who were looking for an option to replace El Haji Diouf who left the team. The Spaniard was quickly approved, and he soon proved himself capable of more.
Garcia made his debut for the Reds in the 2004–2005 season. The midfielder managed to score a goal in the first fight against Bolton, but the goal was canceled due to a referee error. In total, in the first season, the Spaniard scored thirteen times goals, one of which was scored by his team's principal opponent - Everton.
Luis not only joined the team of Rafael Benitez, he became an integral part of the Liverpool football club. In the quarterfinals of the unforgettable Champions League 2005-2006. Garcia helped the British to beat one of the favorites of the tournament - Juventus. He scored a goal in a two-round confrontation in the semi-final English derby against the London Chelsea, and in the incredible passions final match against Milan, Luis Garcia was already good as an assistant.
That season was the culmination of a career as a Spanish attacking midfielder. After all, neither with Liverpool, nor with any other club did he win titles anymore.
Separately, you can talk about the relationship of Louis with the English fans. The thing is that the Spaniard, having come to the club, took himself the tenth number, which for a long time remained with the legend of Liverpool Michael Owen, so the fan requirements for a T-shirt with a dozen on his back were also special. It should be noted that Garcia’s expectations were generally met. In a poll conducted among fans, Louis took 34th place among all the club's players in the history of his existence.
Return to Spain
In 2007, the midfielder left Liverpool Football Club and returned to his native Spain, where he played two seasons at Atlético, and the championship was 2009–2010. spent as a reserve player in the Santader Racing. The last García club in Europe was the Greek Panathinaikos, where the midfielder reappeared on the field, however, he mainly came on as a substitute.
Retirement
After spending two years as a reserve player in the not-so-strong championships, the 33-year-old Luis Garcia obviously thought about ending his career, however, as often happens, a second wind opened, and over the next two years the Spaniard spent about seventy fights. The Mexican championship is not the strongest even in America, however, be that as it may, Garcia played in it brightly. In the local championship, he scored 12 goals for Puebla and 4 goals for UNAM Pumas.
The last stage in the career of Luis Javier was India, where a football player for one season played for the local “Atletico” from Calcutta.
Achievements
The history of football is full of interesting facts and paradoxes, and one of them is Luis Garcia. A football player whose professional career lasted for sixteen years, replaced more than ten teams, played in five different countries, while all the trophies that he won fall precisely during the period spent in Liverpool. In 2005, the Spanish midfielder lifted the Champions League and European Super Cup, and in 2006 - the FA Cup and Super Cup. A serious set, especially with an eye on the level of competition in English football. Nevertheless, it took Louis Garcia a little more than two years.
Personal life
Louis Javier does not like to advertise his personal life. It is only known that he is married to a girl named Raquel. The couple has two children. Garcia has a cousin - Xavi Garcia, also a professional footballer who currently defends Zenit St. Petersburg.