David García (footballer, born 1981)
Spanish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David García de la Cruz (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ɣaɾˈθi.a ðe la ˈkɾuθ]; born 16 January 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left-back.
|
García training with Girona in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David García de la Cruz | ||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Manresa, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Espanyol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Espanyol B | 58 | (2) |
| 1999–2011 | Espanyol | 217 | (1) |
| 2011–2015 | Girona | 95 | (1) |
| Total | 370 | (4) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Spain U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2003 | Spain U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2010 | Catalonia | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He spent most of his career with Espanyol, appearing in 243 competitive matches over 12 La Liga seasons and winning two Copa del Rey trophies.[1]
Club career
Born in Manresa, Barcelona, Catalonia, García was a product of RCD Espanyol's academy, and made his La Liga debut on 8 January 2000 in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña,[2] becoming a regular fixture in the 2001–02 season and also being named second team captain after Raúl Tamudo, the only player to have been on the club's books for longer;[3] on 23 March 2003, he scored the first of only two competitive goals during his career, helping to a 1–1 draw at Valencia CF.[4]
García renewed his link for a further two seasons in February 2007, stating about the deal: "I want to finish my career here. I can't imagine myself wearing any other shirt."[5] During that campaign, however, he only totalled 16 games (nine in the league, adding seven in the club's runner-up run in the UEFA Cup) mainly due to a knee injury.[6]
In 2008–09, García played just 14 matches as he again dealt with physical ailments, but was instrumental in the final stretch, appearing in seven complete fixtures out of the last ten – of which Espanyol won eight. On 12 June 2009 he extended his contract for two additional years,[7] going on to make 38 league appearances during that timeframe.
On 4 August 2011, García moved to Segunda División club Girona FC.[8] He was first-choice for the vast majority of his tenure,[9] retiring at the age of 34 and returning to Espanyol to act as scout for the youth system.[1]