Place of birth Mula, Spain Name Javi Garcia Career start 2004 1996–2004 Real Madrid Weight 84 kg | Number 21 Height 1.86 m Role Footballer Salary 4.368 million GBP (2012) | |
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Full name Francisco Javier Garcia Fernandez Date of birth (1987-02-08) 8 February 1987 (age 28) Current teams FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (#21 / Midfielder), Spain national football team (Midfielder) Similar People Oleg Shatov, Ezequiel Garay, Yuri Lodigin, David Silva, Pablo Zabaleta Profiles | ||
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Javi garc a fc zenit saint petersburg and spain national team footballer
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández ([fɾanˈθ̼isko xaβˈjer ˈxaβi ɣarˈθi.a ferˈnandeθ]; born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Russian club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. A defensive midfielder by nature, he can also appear as a central defender.
Contents
- Javi garc a fc zenit saint petersburg and spain national team footballer
- Javi garc a habla en la previa del valencia cf zenit de liga de campeones 2015 16
- Real Madrid
- Benfica
- Manchester City
- Zenit Saint Petersburg
- International career
- Club statistics
- Club
- Country
- References
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.
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.
Javi garc a habla en la previa del valencia cf zenit de liga de campeones 2015 16
Real Madrid
A product of Real Madrid's youth system, García was born in Mula, Region of Murcia, and played three La Liga games for the first team whilst still a junior, making his debut at the age of 17 in a 5–0 home win against Levante UD on 28 November 2004. After that he would spend the entire 2005–06 season with Real Madrid Castilla, the team's B-side, 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, impressing first-team head coach Fabio Capello, who recalled him to training sessions. He played in most of Real's pre-season games, including a starting line-up spot in both Ramón de Carranza Trophy games, playing in central midfield alongside new purchase Émerson; he failed to appear for the main squad in official matches, however.
In August 2007, in the campaign of García's supposed definitive promotion to the first team, coach Bernd Schuster would eventually prevent that golden opportunity – as fellow cantera players Rubén de la Red and Esteban Granero also left the club – 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 CA Osasuna on 31 August, signing for four seasons for a fee of €2.5 million as the Navarre side was keen to replace injury-struck midfielder Javad Nekounam (out of action for several months); having first appeared in a 1–1 home draw with Sevilla FC, where he played one minute, he scored twice in his first six matches, in wins against Levante (4–1) and Villarreal CF (3–2).
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 Merengues had exercised their purchase option, and the player returned to the Santiago Bernabéu for 2008–09; he made his first league appearance for Real in his second spell during his side's 7–1 thrashing of Sporting de Gijón on 24 September, coming on as a second-half substitute for Mahamadou Diarra.
Benfica
Deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, García signed for S.L. Benfica in Portugal on 21 July 2009, for five years and a fee of €7 million. An undisputed starter throughout his first season, he also found the net on three occasions, most notably through a header in the last minute for the game's only goal against Associação Naval 1º de Maio at home, as the club clung onto the top position on 9 November and eventually won the national championship.
García appeared in 43 official matches for Benfica in 2011–12. His only two goals of the season came against Sporting Clube de Portugal in the Lisbon derby 1–0 home win, and at Chelsea for the campaign's UEFA Champions League quarterfinals: in the latter he netted from a corner kick in the 85th minute to make it 1–1, but ten-men Benfica eventually lost it 1–2 and 1–3 on aggregate.
Manchester City
On 31 August 2012, García signed with Manchester City for £15.8 million. He made his league debut on 15 September in a 1–1 away draw against Stoke City, scoring with his head from a Carlos Tevez free kick.
After picking up a thigh injury in the early minutes of the Champions League group stage contest against Borussia Dortmund, García went on to miss several weeks of action. He made his return against West Ham United, replacing Tevez in the 84th minute of a 0–0 draw at Upton Park; on 15 December he started in a 3–1 success at Newcastle United, netting the second goal.
Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg announced the £13 million signing of García on 13 August 2014, after he passed the medical and agreed to personal terms with the Russian Premier League club. He scored his first goal for his new team 18 days later, the only goal in an away win over FC Lokomotiv Moscow.
International career
García represented the Spanish under-21s at the 2009 UEFA European Championship, appearing against England (0–2 loss) in an eventual group stage exit.
He gained his first cap for the full side on 26 May 2012, playing 22 minutes in a 2–0 friendly win with Serbia in St. Gallen.