Luis García (footballer, born 1981)

García was born in Oviedo, Asturias. After representing three clubs as a youth he began his senior career with his last one, Real Madrid, first appearing with its C team then progressing in 2001 to Castilla in the Segunda División B.[2]

On 8 January 2003, García played his only official game for the main squad, as a late substitute for Esteban Cambiasso in the 3–3 draw away to Terrassa FC in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.[3]

Released by Madrid in 2003, García joined Real Murcia, making his La Liga debut on 31 August and scoring a penalty in a 1–1 away draw against RC Celta de Vigo.[4] He finished his first season with 11 goals and appeared in all the matches, although the side would be relegated;[5] on 16 May 2004, he netted twice in a 2–1 fruitless home win over his former employers.[6]

The following season, García produced similar numbers at RCD Mallorca, who barely avoided relegation after ranking 17th[7] and, in summer 2005, signed a five-year contract with RCD Espanyol,[8] playing competitive 48 games in his debut campaign and adding 15 goals,[9] including a brace in the 2006 Spanish Cup final, a 4–1 defeat of Real Zaragoza.[10] In the ensuing summer, he extended his link until 2012.[11]

García running past Villarreal's Bruno Soriano in October 2008

García, forming a formidable attacking partnership at the Catalans with youth graduate Raúl Tamudo (the pair combined for 68 league goals from 2005 to 2008),[12] contributed five goals during their 2006–07 runner-up run in the UEFA Cup, including a hat-trick in a 23 November 2006 group stage 6–2 home win against S.V. Zulte Waregem.[13] However, in the May final, he missed his penalty shootout attempt in a final loss to fellow Spaniards Sevilla FC.[14]

García was an everpresent figure for Espanyol until the end of his tenure, never making less than 36 appearances and scoring an average of seven goals, 13 alone in 2007–08.[15][9] After the arrival in January 2010 of Argentine Dani Osvaldo, he operated almost exclusively as a winger.[16]

On 31 August 2011 – the last day of the summer transfer window – the 30-year-old García moved to Zaragoza on a three-year deal.[17] On 18 September, he scored twice against his former team and also missed a penalty kick in a 2–1 home victory.[18] He would, however, only manage two in the other 33 fixtures of the season he appeared in (2,297 minutes of action),[19] with the Aragonese again narrowly avoiding top-flight relegation.[20]

García arrived to Monterrey on 5 July 2012 accompanied by his agent, to kickstart negotiations with Liga MX side Tigres UANL.[21] On 15 September, he scored twice against Cruz Azul for a 2–0 win at the Estadio Universitario[22] and, in two games in March of the following year, contributed one goal each in 2–1 wins over San Luis F.C.[23] and Puebla FC.[24]

In July 2014, García signed a two-year contract with Belgian Second Division team K.A.S. Eupen, joining a host of compatriots including manager Tintín Márquez.[25] He became captain of the Kehrwegstadion club, and signed for two more years after their promotion in June 2016.[26]

García was a key player over three Pro League seasons until his retirement in April 2019.[27] The previous 28 October, he scored to open a 2–1 home win over R.S.C. Anderlecht.[28]