Sergio García de la Fuente

For the Spanish golfer, see Sergio García. For the Spanish footballer, see Sergio García de la Iglesia. For the Filipino actor, see Sergio Garcia (actor).

Sergio García

Personal information
Full name	Sergio García de la Fuente
Date of birth	9 June 1983 (1983-06-09)
Place of birth	Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Forward / Winger
Club information
Current club	Espanyol
Number	9
Youth career
	Bon Pastor
1995–2002	Barcelona
1997–1999	→ CF Damm (loan)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Barcelona B	66	(37)
2003–2005	Barcelona	4	(0)
2004–2005	→ Levante (loan)	31	(7)
2005–2008	Zaragoza	90	(14)
2008–2010	Betis	62	(21)
2010–	Espanyol	34	(7)
National team‡
1999	Spain U16	2	(1)
2001	Spain U17	3	(1)
2001–2002	Spain U19	9	(7)
2003	Spain U20	11	(7)
2004–2005	Spain U21	11	(4)
2008–	Spain	2	(0)
2003–	Catalonia	9	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 December 2010

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is García and the second or maternal family name is De la Fuente.

Sergio García de la Fuente (born 9 June 1983) is a Spanish footballer who plays for RCD Espanyol in La Liga. Mainly a forward, he can also appear as a winger (preferably on the right).

Club career

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, García rose through the ranks of FC Barcelona, finding however opportunities almost non-existent in the senior squad. He made four first-team appearances during 2003–04, his debut coming on 3 September 2003, in a 1–1 home draw against Sevilla FC.

Moving to Levante UD in 2004, mere months after extending his Barça link, García proved himself a La Liga player, a trait he continued to display at Real Zaragoza, whether as a starter or the first option from the bench. In 2007–08, he played all 38 matches, while the Aragonese were eventually relegated from the top level.

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, García was linked with a number of Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Stoke City, along with fellow team-mate Diego Milito. Rumours that he would leave Zaragoza had been further fuelled after the club's relegation, as he was thrown out of a side pre-season training session by manager Marcelino García Toral and was then left out of their opening day defeat against Levante.

On 1 September 2008, in the dying seconds of the transfer window, after continuous rumours, García signed for Real Betis, for a fee close to €10 million. He scored his first goal for his new club on 27 September, in the team's home game against Real Madrid (1–2 loss), following up on his own saved penalty. On 16 November, he netted a brace in at 3–1 home win over Racing de Santander and, on 18 January of the following, added another, in the 3–1 success at Real Valladolid, in which he also assisted the other goal.

On 7 February 2009, García helped Betis achieve a landmark victory at neighbouring Sevilla, scoring in a 2–1 win. In form, he was struck with a knee injury after celebrating his opener against CD Numancia, a 3–3 home draw on 4 April, eventually missing a month of competition, with Betis struggling during this time, and eventually dropping down a level at the end.

García scored a career-high 12 goals in 2009–10, but the Andalusians failed to promote. In August 2010, he signed a five-year contract with RCD Espanyol, moving to the Catalan side as a replacement to veteran Raúl Tamudo, who left the club after nearly 20 years of service.

International career

Without having being previously capped, García made the Spanish final squad of 23 for UEFA Euro 2008 (which Spain went on to win) as a replacement for Barcelona's Bojan Krkić. On 31 May 2008, he made his debut for the national side, coming on as a substitute for David Silva, in a friendly match with Peru.

On 18 June, García earned his first competitive cap, playing for the full 90 minutes against Greece, in Spain's third and final group D game in Euro 2008: in the 88th minute he delivered a pinpoint left-footed cross for Daniel Güiza to head home the 2–1 winner.

García also represented Spain at all youth levels, as well as appearing frequently for the unofficial Catalan national side; on 22 December 2009, he scored twice in a 4–2 victory for the side against Argentina.

Honours

Spain

• UEFA European Football Championship: 2008

Spain U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: 2002

Spain U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship: Runner-up 2003

External links

• Espanyol official profile
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Sergio García at National-Football-Teams.com
• Sergio García – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile