| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sergio García de la Fuente | ||
| Date of birth | 9 June 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward / Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Espanyol | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bon Pastor | |||
| 1995–2002 | Barcelona | ||
| 1997–1999 | → CF Damm (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2004 | Barcelona B | 66 | (37) |
| 2003–2005 | Barcelona | 4 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Levante (loan) | 31 | (7) |
| 2005–2008 | Zaragoza | 90 | (14) |
| 2008–2010 | Betis | 62 | (21) |
| 2010– | Espanyol | 34 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999 | Spain U16 | 2 | (1) |
| 2001 | Spain U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2001–2002 | Spain U19 | 9 | (7) |
| 2003 | Spain U20 | 11 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | Spain U21 | 11 | (4) |
| 2008– | Spain | 2 | (0) |
| 2003– | Catalonia | 8 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Sergio García de la Fuente (born 9 June 1983) is a Spanish footballer who plays for RCD Espanyol in La Liga. Mainly a forward, he can also appear as a winger (preferably on the right).
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Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, García rose through the ranks of FC Barcelona, finding however opportunities almost non-existent in the senior squad. He made four first-team appearances during 2003–04, his debut coming on 3 September 2003, in a 1–1 home draw against Sevilla FC.
Moving to Levante UD in 2004, mere months after extending his Barça link,[1] García proved himself a La Liga player, a trait he continued to display at Real Zaragoza, whether as a starter or the first option from the bench. In 2007–08, he played all 38 matches, while the Aragonese were eventually relegated from the top level.
At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, García was linked with a number of Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Stoke City, along with fellow team-mate Diego Milito. Rumours that he would leave Zaragoza had been further fuelled after the club's relegation, as he was thrown out of a side pre-season training session by manager Marcelino García Toral and was then left out of their opening day defeat against Levante.[2]
On 1 September 2008, in the dying seconds of the transfer window, after continuous rumours, García signed for Real Betis,[3][4] for a fee close to €10 million. He scored his first goal for his new club on 27 September, in the team's home game against Real Madrid (1–2 loss), following up on his own saved penalty.[5] On 16 November, he netted a brace in at 3–1 home win over Racing de Santander[6] and, on 18 January of the following, added another, in the 3–1 success at Real Valladolid, in which he also assisted the other goal.[7]
On 7 February 2009, García helped Betis achieve a landmark victory at neighbouring Sevilla, scoring in a 2–1 win.[8] In form, he was struck with a knee injury after celebrating his opener against CD Numancia, a 3–3 home draw on 4 April,[9] eventually missing a month of competition, with Betis struggling during this time, and eventually dropping down a level at the end.
García scored a career-high 12 goals in 2009–10, but the Andalusians failed to promote. In August 2010, he signed a five-year contract with RCD Espanyol, moving to the Catalan side as a replacement to veteran Raúl Tamudo, who left the club after nearly 20 years of service.
Without having being previously capped, García made the Spanish final squad of 23 for UEFA Euro 2008 (which Spain went on to win) as a replacement for Barcelona's Bojan Krkić.[10] On 31 May 2008, he made his debut for the national side, coming on as a substitute for David Silva, in a friendly match with Peru.
On 18 June, García earned his first competitive cap, playing for the full 90 minutes against Greece, in Spain's third and final group D game in Euro 2008: in the 88th minute he delivered a pinpoint left-footed cross for Daniel Güiza to head home the 2–1 winner.
García also represented Spain at all youth levels, as well as appearing frequently for the unofficial Catalan national side; on 22 December 2009, he scored twice in a 4–2 victory for the side against Argentina.
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