| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gabriel Francisco García de la Torre | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 February 1979 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sallent, Spain | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||
| Current club | Sion | |||||||||||
| Number | 3 | |||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||
| 1993–1997 | Barcelona | |||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Barcelona B | 73 | (11) | |||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Barcelona | 128 | (8) | |||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Ajax | 86 | (7) | |||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Umm-Salal | 13 | (3) | |||||||||
| 2011– | Sion | 2 | (0) | |||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Spain U16 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Spain U18 | 10 | (1) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Spain U20 | 7 | (3) | |||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Spain U21 | 16 | (0) | |||||||||
| 2000 | Spain U23 | 6 | (3) | |||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Spain | 3 | (0) | |||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 October 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Gabriel Francisco García de la Torre (born 10 February 1979), aka Gabri, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Sion in Switzerland. Mainly a midfielder who can play in the right or the middle, he can also appear as an offensive right defender, tackling and passing skills being his main assets.
He spent seven years of his professional career with FC Barcelona (13 counting youth sides), winning four major titles but appearing almost exclusively as a backup.
Gabri represented Spain at Euro 2004.
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Born in Sallent de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Gabri started his professional career at FC Barcelona's B team, where he made his first appearances in the 1997–98 season, with the club in Segunda División B - scoring four goals in 28 games en route to promotion.
He was promoted to the main squad for 1999–2000 and, in the following four years, was a first-team regular but, subsequently and during the team's conquests in 2005–06 (for an eventual total of two leagues, one Spanish Supercup and the 2005–06's UEFA Champions League), would feature less significantly; he was also severely injured during the 2004–05 campaign, after a 4–1 home win against Real Zaragoza.[1]
Gabri's contract at Barcelona was not renewed,[2] and he joined AFC Ajax on a free transfer on 6 June 2006,[3] alongside former teammate Roger García. There, he immediately won the Dutch Supercup in a 3–1 win over PSV Eindhoven in August, and was also a key element in a side that lost the 2007 national championship on the last matchday, to precisely PSV.
In May 2007, Gabri won the Dutch Cup on penalties against AZ Alkmaar, in a match where he received a red card in the 79th minute. In August, Ajax successfully defended their Supercup title, again beating PSV, with him as the only goalscorer in the match.[4]
On 27 May 2010, after a last poor individual season with Ajax (only 13 matches, even though the Amsterdam outfit finished in second place), 31-year old Gabri signed with Qatar Stars League team Umm-Salal Sports Club.[5] On 4 July of the following year, he moved teams and countries again, joining FC Sion in Switzerland.[6]
Gabri was a key element in Spain's squad at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring three times to become World Champion of the category. He was also a member of the national squad at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
After making his full debut on 30 April 2003, in a friendly match with Ecuador, Gabri went on to represent the nation during UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, not leaving the bench in an eventual group stage exit.
| Season | Club | Competition | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/98 | Barcelona B | Segunda División B | 28 | 4 |
| 1998/99 | Barcelona B | Segunda División | 32 | 6 |
| 1999/00 | Barcelona B | Segunda División B | 13 | 1 |
| 1999/00 | Barcelona | La Liga | 16 | 2 |
| 2000/01 | Barcelona | La Liga | 25 | 2 |
| 2001/02 | Barcelona | La Liga | 29 | 3 |
| 2002/03 | Barcelona | La Liga | 27 | 0 |
| 2003/04 | Barcelona | La Liga | 16 | 1 |
| 2004/05 | Barcelona | La Liga | 4 | 0 |
| 2005/06 | Barcelona | La Liga | 11 | 0 |
| 2006/07 | Ajax | Eredivisie | 31 | 5 |
| 2007/08 | Ajax | Eredivisie | 26 | 1 |
| 2008/09 | Ajax | Eredivisie | 16 | 1 |
| 2009/10 | Ajax | Eredivisie | 13 | 0 |
| 2010/11 | Umm-Salal | Qatar Stars League | 13 | 3 |
| Total | 300 | 29 | ||
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