Javi García facts for kids
García playing for Zenit in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Javier García Fernández | ||
| Date of birth | 8 February 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Mula, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2004 | Real Madrid | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | Real Madrid B | 86 | (10) |
| 2004–2007 | Real Madrid | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Osasuna | 25 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | Real Madrid | 15 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Benfica | 74 | (6) |
| 2012–2014 | Manchester City | 53 | (2) |
| 2014–2017 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 73 | (6) |
| 2017–2020 | Betis | 53 | (1) |
| 2020–2022 | Boavista | 39 | (2) |
| Total | 421 | (29) | |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | Spain U16 | 3 | (1) |
| 2003–2005 | Spain U17 | 21 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Spain U19 | 9 | (2) |
| 2007 | Spain U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Spain U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Spain | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022–2024 | Benfica (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández is a former professional footballer from Spain. He was born on February 8, 1987. Javi mostly played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal. He could also play as a central defender.
Javi started his football journey with Real Madrid. He later played for Benfica in Portugal for three years. In 2012, he joined Manchester City in England. After that, he spent three seasons playing in Russia for Zenit Saint Petersburg. He returned to Spain in 2017 to play for Betis. He finished his career at Boavista in Portugal.
Javi García also played for the Spanish national team at different youth levels. He was part of the team that won the European Championship for players under 19 in 2006. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2012.
Contents
Javi García's Football Journey
Starting with Real Madrid
Javi García grew up playing football in Real Madrid's youth system. He was born in Mula, a town in Spain. He played his first game for Real Madrid's main team when he was just 17 years old. This happened on November 28, 2004, in a big 5–0 win against Levante.
After his debut, he spent the entire 2005–06 season playing for Real Madrid's reserve team, Real Madrid B. They played in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest league in Spain.
Winning the UEFA Under-19 Championship
In the summer of 2006, Javi had a very exciting time. First, he helped the Spanish under-19 team win the UEFA European Championship. His great performance caught the eye of Real Madrid's first-team coach, Fabio Capello. Capello invited Javi to train with the main team. He played in many of Real Madrid's pre-season games.
Moving to Osasuna and Back
In August 2007, Javi was expected to join Real Madrid's main team permanently. However, the new coach, Bernd Schuster, decided he wasn't needed. So, Javi moved to Osasuna on August 31. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game for Osasuna in a 0–0 draw against Barcelona. He even scored two goals in his first six matches for the team.
His contract with Osasuna had a special clause. It allowed Real Madrid to buy him back. On April 29, 2008, Real Madrid decided to bring him back. He returned to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the 2008–09 season. He played his first league game back with Real Madrid in a big 7–1 win against Sporting de Gijón.
Playing for Benfica in Portugal
Real Madrid decided Javi wasn't part of their plans again. So, on July 21, 2009, Javi García signed a five-year contract with Benfica in Portugal. He quickly became a key player for them in his first season. He scored three goals that season. One important goal was a header in the last minute against Associação Naval 1º de Maio. This goal helped Benfica stay at the top of the league, and they eventually won the Primeira Liga title.
In the 2011–12 season, Javi played in 39 games. He scored two goals that season. One was against Sporting CP in a local derby game, which Benfica won 1–0. The other goal was against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals. He scored from a corner kick, making the score 1–1. However, Benfica lost that game 2–1 and were knocked out of the competition.
Joining Manchester City
On August 31, 2012, Javi García moved to Manchester City in England. He made his Premier League debut on September 15 in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City. In that game, he scored his first goal for City with a header from a free kick.
Javi had a thigh injury early in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. This injury kept him out of action for several weeks. He returned to play against West Ham United. On December 15, he started in a 3–1 win against Newcastle United and scored City's second goal.
Time at Zenit Saint Petersburg
On August 13, 2014, Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia announced that they had signed Javi García. He scored his first goal for his new team 18 days later. It was the only goal in an away win against Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League.
Javi played 24 matches in the 2014–15 season. He scored three goals as his team won their fifth national championship.
Returning to Spain with Betis
On August 14, 2017, Javi García, who was 30 years old, returned to Spain after eight years. He joined Real Betis. He played 64 games for Betis over three seasons. He scored one goal in a 3–1 away win against Alavés on March 12, 2018.
On July 5, 2019, Javi signed a new two-year contract with Betis.
Final Club: Boavista
After ending his contract with Betis, Javi García went back to Portugal. He joined Boavista on a three-year deal on August 19, 2020. He scored his first goal for Boavista on October 25 in a 2–2 draw against Famalicão. He was also sent off in that game.
On June 22, 2022, Javi García, at 35 years old, announced his retirement from playing football. He stayed in Portugal and immediately returned to Benfica. He joined the coaching staff of the new manager, Roger Schmidt.
Playing for Spain
Javi García played for the Spanish national under-21 team in the 2009 UEFA European Championship. He played against England in a 2–0 loss. Spain did not make it past the group stage in that tournament.
He earned his first cap (which means his first game) for the senior national team on May 26, 2012. He played for 22 minutes in a 2–0 friendly win against Serbia.
Career Statistics
This table shows how many games Javi García played and how many goals he scored for different clubs throughout his career.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Real Madrid | 2004–05 | La Liga | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Osasuna | 2007–08 | La Liga | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2008–09 | La Liga | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Benfica | 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 46 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 45 | 8 | |
| 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 39 | 2 | |
| Total | 72 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 130 | 14 | ||
| Manchester City | 2012–13 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 80 | 2 | ||
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2014–15 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 6 | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | Russian Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 73 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 108 | 7 | ||
| Betis | 2017–18 | La Liga | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 53 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 64 | 1 | ||
| Boavista | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 333 | 19 | 41 | 2 | 21 | 4 | 88 | 3 | 483 | 28 | ||
Awards and Trophies
Javi García won many awards and trophies during his football career:
With Real Madrid B
- Segunda División B: 2004–05 (This is a lower league in Spain)
With Real Madrid
- Supercopa de España: 2008 (A Spanish Super Cup)
With Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009–10 (The top league in Portugal)
- Taça da Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 (A Portuguese League Cup)
With Manchester City
- Premier League: 2013–14 (The top league in England)
- Football League Cup: 2013–14 (An English League Cup)
- FA Cup runner-up: 2012–13 (Finished second in the FA Cup)
With Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Premier League: 2014–15 (The top league in Russia)
- Russian Cup: 2015–16 (A Russian Cup)
- Russian Super Cup: 2015, 2016 (A Russian Super Cup)
With Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2006 (A European Championship for players under 19)
See also
In Spanish: Javi García para niños
