Carlos García (footballer, born 1984)
Spanish former footballer (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlos García Badías (born 29 April 1984) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
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García playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Carlos García Badías | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 April 1984 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Espanyol | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Espanyol B | 30 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Espanyol | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | → Poli Ejido (loan) | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | Almería | 195 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Betis (loan) | 33 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 115 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Alanyaspor | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 419 | (11) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Spain U16 | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Spain U17 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Spain U19 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Spain U20 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Spain U21 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Spain U23 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Maccabi Tel Aviv (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Ecuador (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Shenzhen (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Udinese (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Chicago Fire (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Flamurtari | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
He spent most of his career with Almería, playing 208 competitive matches for the club and appearing in three La Liga seasons. Additionally, he had a four-year spell with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League.
Club career
Espanyol and Almería
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, García was a product of local RCD Espanyol's youth ranks. He would only appear for the first team on three occasions, during the 2003–04 season (three defeats),[1][2][3] also serving a loan stint with Polideportivo Ejido in the Segunda División the following campaign.[4]
García stayed in Andalusia in 2005, being sold by Espanyol to second-division UD Almería.[5] He was a starter from the beginning, being instrumental in their first-ever La Liga promotion in the 2006–07 campaign.[6]
Deemed surplus to requirements by manager Hugo Sánchez, García was loaned to neighbours Real Betis for 2009–10's second-tier season.[7] After not being able to help the Verdiblancos return to the top flight he rejoined Almería,[8] being first-choice under new manager Juan Manuel Lillo and both his successors José Luis Oltra and Roberto Olabe, scoring once[9] in 33 games as they were eventually relegated after a four-year stay.[10]
Maccabi Tel Aviv and coaching
García moved abroad for the first time in his career in June 2012, signing a three-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in the Israeli Premier League.[11] In his first season he was teamed up in the centre of defence with Eitan Tibi, with the pair performing solidly as the club won the national championship after a ten-year drought.[12]
Aged 29, García made his debut in European competition in the 2013–14 campaign, featuring in both the UEFA Champions League qualification matches[13][14] and the UEFA Europa League group stage.[15][16] In the domestic front he was part of the squad that set a new league record for minutes without conceding a goal, surpassing Hapoel Haifa FC's 585 from 1999.[17]
García retired in 2017 at the age of 33, after one season in the Turkish Süper Lig with Alanyaspor.[18] Immediately after, he returned to Maccabi as assistant to his compatriot Jordi Cruyff;[19] the pair worked together again in the Chinese Super League, at Chongqing Dangdai Lifan F.C. and Shenzhen FC.[20][21]
In January 2022, García became manager of Liga Leumit side Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam FC.[22] He returned to assistant duties subsequently, at Serie A's Udinese Calcio[23] and Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire FC.[24][25]
On 27 June 2025, García was appointed head coach of Flamurtari FC, recently returned to the Albanian Kategoria Superiore.[26] In October, he left by mutual agreement.[27]
International career
García was part of the Spain under-16 squad at the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Championship in England, winning the tournament alongside top scorer Fernando Torres.[28] Two years later, he contributed seven starts for the under-20s as they finished runners-up to Brazil in the FIFA World Cup.[29][30]
García reunited again with Cruyff for a brief period in 2020, when the latter was appointed at the Ecuador national team.[31]
Honours
Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15[32]
- Israel State Cup: 2014–15[32]
- Toto Cup: 2014–15[32]
Spain U16
Spain U23
Spain U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2003[30]