Luis García retires

The former FC Barcelona player Luis García is retiring from football. In an announcement he made on his web site, he siad: “I’ve reached the moment, it’s not easy for anyone and it’s no one can avoid it. I’ve enjoyed the sport that excites me most for many years, I’ve experienced great moments and I saw my dream become reality when I was just a child. Today I decide to retire as a professional footballer. I am thankful for the interest from the teams I’ve spoken to in the last weeks, but I think it’s time for me to end this important chapter of my life and start a new one.”

The former player, born in Badalona on June 24 in 1978, learned to play football at FC Barcelona’s youth academy. He was a forward for the Barça B team that won promotion to Segunda A in the 1997/98 season and, after a series of loans to Valladolid, Toledo and Tenerife, he was sold to Atlético Madrid before the 2002/03 season.

44 matches in 2003/04

FC Barcelona, who had buy-back option on the player, decided to bring Luis García back to the Club the following season. The forward, who was managed by Frank Rijkaard at the time, played a total of 44 matches and he scored 8 goals.

Despite having the trust of the manager, Luis García decided to accept an offer from Liverpool in the summer of 2004. He played in England for three seasons, and he won the Champions League in Istanbul against AC Milan.

Luis García later returned to Atlético Madrid, then he signed for Racing, Panathinaikos and Pumas.