Javi García facts for kids
García playing for Zenit in 2017
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 February 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Mula, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 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) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2022–2024 | Benfica (assistant) | ||
|
|||
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández (born on February 8, 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He mostly played as a defensive midfielder. He could also play as a central defender.
Javi García started his career at Real Madrid. He mostly played for their reserve team. Later, he spent three years playing for Benfica in Portugal. In 2012, he joined Manchester City. After that, he played three more seasons in Russia for Zenit Saint Petersburg. He played 108 matches for Zenit in all competitions.
In 2017, he returned to Spain to play for Betis. He retired from playing football at Boavista. Javi García also played for Spain at different youth levels. He was part of the team that won the 2006 European Championship for players under 19. He played his first game for the senior national team in 2012.
Club Career Highlights
Javi García grew up in the youth system of Real Madrid. 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. This was in November 2004, in a big 5–0 win against Levante.
Early Days at Real Madrid
After his debut, Javi García spent the 2005–06 season playing for Real Madrid's reserve team, Real Madrid B. They played in the Segunda División, which is the second division of Spanish football.
In the summer of 2006, Javi García had a very busy time. First, he helped the Spanish under-19 team win the UEFA European Championship. His good performance caught the eye of Real Madrid's first-team coach, Fabio Capello. Capello brought him back to train with the main squad. He played in many pre-season games. However, he did not play in any official matches for the main team during the 2006–07 season.
Moving to Osasuna and Back
In August 2007, Javi García moved to Osasuna. He signed a four-year contract. Osasuna needed a midfielder because Javad Nekounam was injured. Javi García scored two goals in his first six games for Osasuna. These goals helped his team win against Levante (4–1) and Villarreal (3–2).
His contract with Osasuna had a special clause. It allowed Real Madrid to buy him back. On April 29, 2008, Real Madrid decided to use this option. Javi García returned to the Santiago Bernabéu for the 2008–09 season. He played his first league game in his second time at Real Madrid in a huge 7–1 win against Sporting de Gijón.
Success in Portugal with Benfica
On July 21, 2009, Javi García left Real Madrid again. He signed a five-year contract with Benfica in Portugal. He quickly became a key player for Benfica. In his first season, he scored three goals. 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. Benfica went on to win the Primeira Liga that season.
In the 2011–12 season, Javi García played 43 matches. He scored two goals that season. One goal was against Sporting CP in the Lisbon derby, which Benfica won 1–0. The other goal was against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. He scored from a corner kick, but Benfica lost the game and were knocked out of the competition.
Playing in England: Manchester City
On August 31, 2012, Javi García joined Manchester City in England. He made his Premier League debut on September 15. He scored with a header in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City.
He got a thigh injury during a Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund. This injury made him miss several weeks of play. He returned to action against West Ham United. On December 15, he scored his team's second goal in a 3–1 win against Newcastle United.
Time in Russia: Zenit Saint Petersburg
On August 13, 2014, Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia announced they had signed Javi García. He scored his first goal for Zenit 18 days later. It was the only goal in an away win against Lokomotiv Moscow.
Javi García played 24 matches in the 2014–15 season. He scored three goals. His team won the Russian national championship that season.
Return to Spain: Real Betis
On August 14, 2017, Javi García, who was 30 years old, returned to Spain. 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 in March 2018.
He signed a new two-year contract with Betis on July 5, 2019.
Final Years at Boavista and Retirement
After ending his contract with Betis, Javi García went back to Portugal. He joined Boavista on August 19, 2020. He signed a three-year deal. 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 joined the coaching staff at Benfica. He became an assistant to the new manager, Roger Schmidt.
International Play
Javi García played for the Spanish national under-21 team. He played in the 2009 UEFA European Championship. He played against England, but Spain was eliminated in the group stage.
He earned his first cap for the senior national team on May 26, 2012. He played 22 minutes in a 2–0 friendly win against Serbia.
Career Numbers
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 44 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 44 | 8 | |
| 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 36 | 2 | |
| Total | 72 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 124 | 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 | 38 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 88 | 3 | 477 | 27 | ||
Trophies and Awards
Real Madrid B
- Segunda División B: 2004–05
Real Madrid
- Supercopa de España: 2008
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009–10
- Taça da Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2013–14
- Football League Cup: 2013–14
- FA Cup runner-up: 2012–13
Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Premier League: 2014–15
- Russian Cup: 2015–16
- Russian Super Cup: 2015, 2016
Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Javi García para niños
