Gabri (footballer, born 1979)

Gabriel Francisco García de la Torre (born 10 February 1979), known as Gabri, is a Spanish retired footballer. Mainly a midfielder who could play in the right or the middle, he could also appear as an attacking right-back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is De la Torre.
Gabri
Gabri in 2018
Personal information
Full name Gabriel Francisco García de la Torre[1]
Date of birth (1979-02-10) 10 February 1979[1]
Place of birth Sallent, Spain[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1985–1991 Sallent
1991–1993 Sabadell
1993–1997 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2000 Barcelona B 67 (9)
1999–2006 Barcelona 129 (7)
2006–2010 Ajax 86 (7)
2010–2011 Umm-Salal 13 (3)
2011 Sion II 2 (1)
2011 Sion 5 (0)
2012–2014 Lausanne-Sport 28 (1)
Total 330 (28)
International career
1994–1995 Spain U16 8 (2)
1996–1998 Spain U18 10 (1)
1999 Spain U20 7 (3)
1999–2001 Spain U21 17 (0)
2000 Spain U23 6 (3)
2003–2004 Spain 3 (0)
2000–2006 Catalonia 4 (0)
Managerial career
2014–2015 Barcelona B (assistant)
2015–2017 Barcelona (youth)
2017–2018 Sion
2018–2020 Andorra
2021 Olot
2021–2022 Lleida Esportiu
2022 Sabadell
2023 Nantong Zhiyun
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Men's Football
Silver medal – second place2000 SydneyTeam Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He spent seven years of his professional career with Barcelona (13 counting youth teams), winning four major titles but almost exclusively as a backup, totalling 194 games and 13 goals. He also played four seasons with Ajax.

Gabri represented Spain at Euro 2004. He later managed in the Spanish lower divisions.

Playing career

Barcelona

Born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Gabri started his professional career at FC Barcelona's reserves, where he made his first appearances in the 1997–98 season whilst they competed in the Segunda División B. He scored four goals in 28 games en route to promotion, including once in a 5–0 home win against Real Madrid Castilla in the playoffs.[2]

Gabri was promoted to the main squad for the 1999–2000 campaign, making his debut on 8 August in the first leg of the Supercopa de España as a 77th-minute substitute for Phillip Cocu in the 1–0 loss at Valencia CF (4–3 aggregate defeat); two weeks later on his La Liga bow he came off the bench in a 2–0 win at the Camp Nou over Real Zaragoza in the season opener.[3] On 27 October, he played a full match for the first time and scored his first goal in a 5–0 home win over AIK Fotboll in the UEFA Champions League first group stage;[4] he totalled a career-best six goals in this first season, including three more against Hertha BSC and AC Sparta Prague in the next part of the competition.[5][6]

Over the next thee years, Gabri was a regular. He featured less in the 2004–05 season and 2005–06 seasons in which he won his only Barcelona honours under Frank Rijkaard (two La Liga championships, one Supercopa de España and the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League); on 23 September 2004 he suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury with a prognosis of six months in a 4–1 home victory over Zaragoza.[7] While he did not even make the bench for the 2006 UEFA Champions League final which his team won against Arsenal, he scored to open a 3–1 home win over SV Werder Bremen in the group stage on 22 November.[8] In his final game for the club on 13 May 2006, he was sent off in added time for arguing with the assistant referee.[9]

Ajax

Gabri's contract at Barcelona was not renewed,[10] and he joined AFC Ajax on a free transfer on 6 June 2006,[11] alongside former teammate Roger García. There, he immediately won the Johan Cruyff Shield in a 3–1 defeat of PSV Eindhoven in August,[12] and was also a key element in a side that lost the Eredivisie on the last matchday, to the same opposition.

In May 2007, Gabri won the KNVB Cup on penalties against AZ Alkmaar, in a match where he received a red card in the 79th minute.[13] In August, Ajax successfully defended their Supercup title by beating PSV again, with him as the only goalscorer in the match.[14]

Later years

On 27 May 2010, after a last poor individual season with Ajax – only 13 matches, even though the Amsterdam side finished in second place – the 31-year-old Gabri signed for Qatar Stars League club Umm-Salal Sports Club.[15] On 4 July of the following year he moved countries again, joining FC Sion in Switzerland.[16]

On 25 July 2012, having taken almost no part in the Super League campaign, Gabri changed teams but stayed in the country, agreeing to a contract at FC Lausanne-Sport.[17]

International

Gabri was a key element in Spain's squad at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring three goals to become World Champion of the category.[18] He was also a member of the national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[19]

After making his full debut on 30 April 2003 in a friendly with Ecuador,[20] Gabri went on to represent the nation at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal,[21][22] not leaving the bench in an eventual group-stage exit.

Coaching career

Gabri retired from playing at the age of 35, and immediately returned to Barcelona as assistant to their reserves.[23] In July 2015, as part of a reshuffle by incoming director José Segura, he changed roles within the club, becoming the coach of the Juvenil A youth team.[24]

On 24 October 2017, Gabri was appointed manager at Sion until June 2019, succeeding Paolo Tramezzani.[25] His debut in senior management came five days later in a 5–1 defeat at BSC Young Boys.[26] He won once and lost six times in eight games as the team dropped from seventh to bottom tenth, before being replaced by Maurizio Jacobacci on 7 February.[27]

At the end of December 2018, Gabri signed with FC Andorra with former Barcelona teammate Albert Jorquera as his assistant, following Gerard Piqué's acquisition of the principality-based team in Catalan regional football.[28] The team won the Primera Catalana in his first season, achieving a double promotion to Segunda División B after buying the place of economically troubled CF Reus Deportiu.[29] On 24 February 2020, after three consecutive losses and seven matches without a win, he was dismissed.[30]

Remaining in the third tier, Gabri managed UE Olot from January to April 2021, leaving by mutual consent.[31] On 1 June that year, he signed for Lleida Esportiu for the next three seasons;[32] he stayed for only one year in the Segunda División RFEF, in which the team lost in the first round of the playoffs after a goalless draw with seeded Sestao River Club.[33]

Gabri replaced Pedro Munitis at the helm of CE Sabadell FC in the Primera Federación in July 2022.[34] The team had a sharp drop in budget and mostly relied on youth, with him fielding 27 players in 17 games, losing nine; he was dismissed on 19 December while lying two points inside the relegaton zone.[35]

On 16 June 2023, Gabri was appointed manager at Nantong Zhiyun for the remainder of the 2023 season.[36] On 25 September, he resigned from the team.[37]

Managerial statistics
As of 7 July 2023[38]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Sion Switzerland 25 October 2017 5 February 2018 8 1 1 6 12 22 −10 012.50 [39]
FC Andorra Andorra 30 December 2018 25 February 2020 46 24 15 7 69 38 +31 052.17 [40]
Olot Spain 26 January 2021 25 April 2021 12 4 1 7 11 14 −3 033.33 [41]
Lleida Esportiu Spain 1 June 2021 22 May 2022 35 15 8 12 38 39 −1 042.86 [42]
Sabadell Spain 12 July 2022 19 December 2022 17 5 3 9 18 26 −8 029.41 [43]
Nantong Zhiyun China 16 June 2023 25 September 2023 17 3 7 7 18 24 −6 017.65
Total 135 52 35 48 166 163 +3 038.52 —

Honours

Barcelona

Ajax

Spain U20

Spain U23

References
  1. "Gabriel García de la Torre, "GABRI"". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  2. "El día que el Barça B ascendió a Segunda A en el Santiago Bernabéu" [The day Barça B promoted to Segunda A at the Santiago Bernabéu] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  3. "El Barça resuelve en dos minutos un partido incómodo" [Barça resolve an uncomfortable match in two minutes]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 22 August 1999. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  4. "Batistuta strikes to shoot Gunners down and out Hair-raising evening at Wembley for Wenger's men but Beckham helps Ferguson's Reds go marching on". The Herald. 28 October 1999. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  5. Hughes, Rob (17 March 2000). "Manchester Displays Its Wealth of Talent". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  6. "Los reservas del Barça alargan la racha sin perder en Europa de los de Van Gaal" [Barça reserves extend Van Gaal's men's unbeaten streak in Europe]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 21 March 2000. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  7. "Injured Gabri faces six months out". CNN. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  8. "Rijkaard: "Es un placer tener esta plantilla"" [Rijkaard: "It's a pleasure to have this squad"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 22 November 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  9. "SEVILLA-BARCELONA, 3–2. El Sevilla rompe la racha con el Barcelona y aspira a la Liga de Campeones" [SEVILLA-BARCELONA, 3–2. Sevilla break Barcelona's streak and aspire to the Champions League] (in Spanish). Canarias7. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  10. "Gabri bids Barça goodbye". UEFA. 29 May 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  11. "Gabri joins Ten Cate at Ajax". UEFA. 6 June 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  12. "Ajax meer klar voor competitie dan PSV" [Ajax readier to start competing than PSV] (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  13. "Ajax wint bekerfinale van AZ na strafschoppen" [Ajax win cup final against AZ in a shootout] (in Dutch). de Volkskrant. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  14. Scholten, Berend (11 August 2007). "Gabri clinches Super Cup for Ajax". UEFA. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  15. "Gabri naar Umm-Salal" [Gabri to Umm-Salal] (in Dutch). AFC Ajax. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  16. "Transfernews: Gabri offenbar zu Sion" [Transfer news: Gabri confirmed in Sion] (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  17. "Gabri et Tafer signent à Lausanne" [Gabri and Tafer sign with Lausanne]. Le Matin (in French). 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  18. García, Miguel Ángel (17 April 2009). "Qué fue de los campeones del mundo sub20" [What happened to the under-20 world champions]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  19. García, Andrés (7 August 2021). "Albelda y Angulo tocaron plata en Sydney" [Silver for Albelda and Angulo in Sydney]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  20. Gascón, Javier (1 May 2003). "España, de visitante en casa, golea a una ingenua Ecuador" [Spain, playing away at home, rout naïve Ecuador]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  21. Gascón, Javier (31 March 2004). "Examen para un Gabri titular" [Test for starting Gabri]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  22. Modia, Iván (20 May 2004). "Sáez selects Spain squad". UEFA. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  23. Domènech, Oriol (30 June 2014). "Gabri, íntimo de Luis Suárez, regresa al Barça para integrarse en el staff del filial" [Gabri, close to Luis Suárez, returns to Barça to join reserves' staff]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  24. Domènech, Oriol (22 July 2015). "Gabri dirigirá el Juvenil A del Barça" [Gabri will lead the A-Youth of Barça]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  25. "Sion officialise l'arrivée de Gabri sur le banc" [Sion confirm the arrival of Gabri on the bench]. Le Matin (in French). 24 October 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  26. Mauroux, Eric (29 October 2017). "Super League: le FC Sion ridiculisé par Young Boys 5–1" [Super League: FC Sion humiliated 5–1 by Young Boys]. Le Nouvelliste (in French). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  27. "Super League: Jacobacci remplace Gabri à la tête du FC Sion" [Super League: Jacobacci replaces Gabri at the helm of FC Sion] (in French). Radio Télévision Suisse. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  28. Blasco, Joan Josep (29 December 2018). "Primer entrenament de Gabri i Jorquera" [First training of Gabri and Jorquera]. El Periòdic d'Andorra (in Catalan). Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  29. "El salto del Andorra de Piqué: compra la plaza del Reus y jugará en 2ªB" [The leap of Piqué's Andorra: they buy Reus' place and will play in 2ªB]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 29 July 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  30. Esteban, Adrià (25 February 2020). "El Andorra de Piqué destituye a Gabri como entrenador" [Piqué's Andorra dismiss Gabri as manager]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  31. "Oficial: Gabri deja el Olot" [Official: Gabri leaves Olot]. Sport (in Spanish). 29 April 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  32. "Gabri aterra al Lleida" [Gabri lands at Lleida]. L'Esportiu (in Catalan). 1 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  33. "El Lleida pierde el tren del ascenso al empatar ante el Sestao (0–0)" [Lleida miss the promotion train after drawing with Sestao (0–0)]. Segre (in Spanish). 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  34. "Gabri García, el exfutbolista del Barça, nuevo entrenador del Sabadell" [Gabri García, former Barça footballer, new manager of Sabadell]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 13 July 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  35. "Gabri Garcia, destituït com a entrenador del Centre d'Esports Sabadell" [Gabri García, dismissed as manager of Centre d'Esports Sabadell] (in Catalan). Ràdio Sabadell. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  36. "Gabriel Garcia appointed head coach of CSL side Nantong Zhiyun". Xinhua News Agency. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  37. "官方：加布里辞去南通支云一线队主教练职务" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  38. Gabri at Soccerway
  39. "FC Sion: Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  40. "FC Andorra" (in Spanish). Resultados Fútbol. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
    "Gabri: Gabriel Francisco Garcia de la Torre: Matches 2019–20". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  41. "Gabri: Gabriel Francisco Garcia de la Torre: Matches 2020–21". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  42. "Gabri: Gabriel Francisco Garcia de la Torre: Matches 2021–22". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  43. "Gabri: Gabriel Francisco Garcia de la Torre: Matches 2022–23". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
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