Present and future: Eric Garcia

Fact file

Full name: Eric García Martret

Date and place of birth: 09/01/2001 (Martorell, Barcelona, Spain)

Arrival at Barça: He joined Barça Escola in 2008 and was educated at la Masía until 2017, captaining every age group from the under-10s to the under-18s. He returned to Barça in 2021 after a four year spell at Manchester City.

Senior debut: 15 August 2021, the first La Liga game of the season against Real Sociedad at Camp Nou saw Eric start and debut with the Barça first team, playing 83 minutes.

Ball progression

Eric is a central defender who both reads the game and progresses the ball very well. A player with huge potential, he has all the hallmarks of a classic Barça defender. His instinctive reading of the game keeps him one step ahead of opponents and complements his ball playing skills. A very special return to Barça after four seasons away.

A key role at Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games

The young defender's talent grabbed the attention of national team manager, Luis Enrique Martínez, who called him up to the Spain squad for Euro 2020.

After representing Spain at under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels, he became the first player from Barça Escola to be called up to the senior Spain team. He had a great European Championships, playing in three games, starting in both the quarter and semi-final matches. He also went on to play at the Tokyo Olympic Games (starting and playing every minute of all six games), winning a silver medal.