Eric García (footballer, born 2001)

Eric García Martret (born 9 January 2001) is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team.

García moved from Barcelona at the age of 17 to Manchester City. He made his Premier League debut on 21 September 2019. In his final season at the club, he won the league and was runner-up in the UEFA Champions League. In June 2021, Garcia rejoined Barcelona on a free transfer, following the expiration of his contract.

Early career
Born in Martorell, Barcelona, Catalonia, García was a part of La Masia, the Barcelona academy, before joining Manchester City in 2017. During his first season at City, he captained the under 18s and played for the under 19s in the UEFA Youth League.

Manchester City
He joined up with the first team during their 2018 summer pre-season in the United States. On 18 December 2018, García made his debut for City, starting in the EFL Cup quarter-final against Leicester City. He played in a centre-back pairing with Nicolás Otamendi, with the game finishing 1–1, City winning the tie on penalties. He made his Premier League debut on 21 September 2019 when he came on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Otamendi in an 8–0 win over Watford.

García played two full games back to back for City over the Christmas and New Year period in 2019. The first game was against Sheffield United at home, which City won 2–0. A second home game in a couple of days, saw a second start for García, with City recording a 2–1 victory against Everton.

On 17 June 2020, García was in the starting eleven against Arsenal for City's first game back after the COVID-19 pandemic break, with City recording a 3–0 win. Towards the end of the game, García was involved in a collision with goalkeeper Ederson and initially left him unconscious. García received lengthy on-field treatment before being stretchered off and supplied with oxygen. Despite the seriousness of the incident, García was discharged from hospital the next day. Manager Pep Guardiola stated in a press conference García's injury was a concussion and expected him to be fit within 10 days.

On 6 August 2020, Guardiola announced in a press conference that García had rejected a contract extension, despite ending the league campaign as City's first-choice partner for Aymeric Laporte.

Return to Barcelona
On 1 June 2021, García agreed to sign for La Liga club Barcelona on a free transfer on a five-year contract starting 1 July, with a buyout clause set at €400 million. On 15 August 2021, he played his first competitive match for the club as he started the league opening game, a 4–2 victory against Real Sociedad. On 21 August, he was sent off after receiving a straight red card for his last-ditch tackle on Nico Williams in a 1–1 draw against Athletic Bilbao. On 29 September, García was sent off for the second time after receiving two yellow cards in a 3–0 Champions League group stage thrashing by Benfica.

Loan to Girona
On 1 September 2023, García was loaned to fellow top tier side Girona for the 2023–24 season. On 27 September, he scored his first goal for Girona to secure a 2–1 away win over Villarreal, which granted his club the top place in La Liga after seven matches for the first time in their history.

International career
After representing Spain at under-19 and under-21 levels, García received his first senior call-up on 20 August 2020, for two UEFA Nations League fixtures against Germany and Ukraine. He made his senior international debut against Ukraine on 6 September 2020, replacing Sergio Ramos in the 61st minute as Spain won 4–0. On 24 May 2021, García was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020. Additionally, García was included in the squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Honours
Manchester City
 * Premier League: 2020–21
 * EFL Cup: 2019–20
 * FA Community Shield: 2019
 * UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21

Barcelona
 * La Liga: 2022–23
 * Supercopa de España: 2023

Spain U17
 * UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2017
 * FIFA U-17 World Cup runner-up: 2017

Spain U19
 * UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2019

Spain U23
 * Summer Olympic silver medal: 2020

Spain
 * UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2020–21

Individual
 * UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019
 * IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2021
 * IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) UEFA Team: 2020, 2021