Raúl García

Osasuna

Born in Pamplona, García played for hometown club Osasuna during his first years as a professional. On 24 October 2004, he made his debut for the first team in a 3–0 away defeat against Barcelona, with his first chance being offered by Mexican coach Javier Aguirre. García scored five league goals (the first on 26 October 2005 in a 3–2 home win over Athletic Bilbao) in his first full season as the Navarrese finished in fourth place in La Liga, starting in 28 of his 33 appearances at the age of just 19.

Atlético Madrid

In July 2007, after helping Osasuna to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup with one goal in 12 games, García signed a five-year contract with Atlético Madrid. He reunited with his former boss Aguirre upon the €13 million deal. In January 2010, García lost his starting position to newly signed Tiago Mendes, who had arrived on loan from Juventus. However, he started the UEFA Europa League final against Fulham, as the Portuguese was cup-tied, playing the full 90 minutes and extra time in the 2–1 victory for the first honour of his career; additionally, he appeared in the second half of the Copa del Rey's decider against Sevilla, a 2–0 loss.

On 27 August 2010, García featured the entire match in the UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan, giving away a penalty kick in the last minute for a foul on Goran Pandev; the shot was however saved by David de Gea, and the Colchoneros won it 2–0. Again, he played significantly less minutes than Tiago, but…

García played with the Spain under-21s from 2006 to 2009, earning a total of 20 caps in the category and representing the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Championship, in a group-stage exit. He also appeared for the under-19 team. On 29 August 2014, aged 28, García was named by full side manager Vicente del Bosque in a 23-man squad for matches against France and Macedonia in September. He made his debut on 4 September, starting and featuring 58 minutes in a 1–0 friendly loss to the former. In 2004 and 2005, García took part in representative games for both Navarre and the Basque Country.

García was known for scoring from the bench and having good aerial ability. A competent penalty taker, he was also often deployed as a false 9 due to his movements off the ball.

Club

International