Sergio García de la Fuente

Football player infobox
playername = Sergio García
fullname = Sergio García de la Fuente
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1983|6|9|df=y
cityofbirth = Barcelona
countryofbirth = Spain
height = height|m=1.75
clubnumber = 9
currentclub = Real Betis
position = Right winger/striker
youthyears = 2000-2002
youthclubs = FC Barcelona
years = 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2008 2008-
clubs = Barcelona B FC Barcelona Levante UD Real Zaragoza Real Betis
caps(goals) = 33 (19) 4 (0) 31 (7) 90 (14) 4 (1)
nationalyears = 2003- 2008-
nationalteam = Catalonia Spain
nationalcaps(goals) = 3 (3) 2 (0)
pcupdate = September 1, 2008
ntupdate = September 1, 2008"For the Spanish golfer, see Sergio García."

Sergio García de la Fuente, García (born June 9, 1983 in Barcelona), is a Spanish football player, who currently plays winger/striker for Real Betis.

Club career

Rising through the ranks of FC Barcelona, García found opportunities almost non-existent in the senior squad. He made four first-team appearances during 2003-04, his debut coming on September 3, 2003, in a 1-1 home draw against Sevilla FC.

Moving to Levante UD in 2004, he proved himself a first division player, a trait he continued to display in the higher-ranked Real Zaragoza, whether as a starter or the first option from the bench. In 2007-08, he played all 38 matches, although the team was eventually relegated.

At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, García was linked with a number of English Premier League clubs including Liverpool F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Stoke City F.C., along with fellow team-mate Diego Milito. However, on September 1, 2008 in the very last seconds of the transfer window, after continuous rumours, he signed for Real Betis. [ [http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/betis/es/desarrollo/1160906.html García: "Little by little we can move up in the ranks"] es icon] 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. [ [http://www.periodistadigital.com/deportes/object.php?o=958682 Marcelino throws Sergio García out of training session] es icon]

He scored his first goal for Betis on September 27, 2008, in the team's home game against Real Madrid (1-2 loss), following up on his own saved penalty.

International career

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. [cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-us/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=699623| title=Raúl Out, Sergio García In Spain Euro 2008 Squad |accessmonthday=20 May |accessyear=2008] On May 31, 2008, he made his debut for the national side, coming on as a substitute for David Silva, in a friendly match against Peru. A week later he also appeared against United States.

On June 18, 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.

Honours

*Spain:
**UEFA European Championship: 2008
**UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: 2002
**FIFA World Youth Championship: runner-up 2003

References

External links

* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=7287 Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional] es icon