Luis Garcia
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Luis Garcia (born June 24, 1978, Badalona, Spain) was a Spanish right winger (midfielder) who gained fame in the sport of football (soccer) for his versatility with his body—he could use both feet equally in play and had good aerial skills. Although he was known around the world, he was especially popular in Spain and England.
Garcia became interested in football at a young age and played for Barcelona in youth leagues during his teens. In 1997 he started playing professional football for local team Barcelona B. For the next few years he stayed in Spain but changed from team to team, spending time with Real Valladolid for two different seasons, CD Toledo, CD Tenerife, Atlético Madrid, and FC Barcelona. In 2004 Garcia began the first of his three seasons with England’s Liverpool FC. The team was successful, winning the UEFA Champions League (2005), the European Super Cup (2005), and the FA Cup (2006). They also took second place in the 2005 Club World Cup. In 2007 Garcia moved back to Spain and joined Atlético Madrid for two seasons. Two years later he went to Spain’s Racing Santander but moved to Greece’s Panathinaikos the next year.
Garcia also played for the Spanish national team from 2005 to 2006. The team made it to the World Cup in 2006, and the high point of his international career was a hat trick against Slovakia in 2005 in a World Cup qualification match.
Garcia spent the last years of his career outside Europe. He played in Mexico for two teams: Puebla from 2011 to 2012, and then Pumas UNAM from 2012 to 2014. He announced his retirement in January 2014, but his retirement was brief. He joined Atlético Kolkata in India that July and played just one year. He ended his career at Central Coast in Australia in 2016. He then became a television football analyst and since 2021, has appeared frequently on the sports streaming network ESPN+ commenting on games in La Liga, the top Spanish professional league.