Aleix García

Aleix García Serrano (; ; born 28 June 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Bayer Leverkusen and the Spain national team.

Club career Villarreal Born in Ulldecona, Tarragona, Catalonia, García joined Villarreal's youth setup in 2005, aged eight, after starting out at CF Ulldecona. He made his senior debut with the reserves in Segunda División B on 26 April 2014 at only 16 years of age, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 away win against CF Badalona.

García featured for the C team in the 2014–15 season, also appearing for the B side in the same campaign. He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 23 May 2015, replacing Antonio Rukavina in a 4–0 loss at Athletic Bilbao.

Manchester City On 27 August 2015, García joined Premier League side Manchester City. He was selected by then-City manager Manuel Pellegrini against Chelsea on 21 February 2016 in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

García made his first Premier League appearance on 17 September 2016, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home win against Bournemouth. On 21 September, he started in an EFL Cup match against Swansea City, scoring his first goal for the club in the 2–1 away win. He next started a month later on 26 October, in another EFL Cup match, a 1–0 loss to Manchester United.

Girona (loan) On 1 August 2017, García was loaned to newly promoted La Liga club Girona FC until the end of the season. He was loaned again for the 2018–19 season.

Royal Excel Mouscron (loan) García was loaned to Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron for the 2019–20 season.

Dinamo București & Eibar On 8 October 2020, he signed a contract with Romanian club Dinamo București, until the end of the season. On 18 January 2021, after featuring sparingly, he returned to Spain and its top tier after signing for Eibar on a free transfer.

Return to Girona On 23 July 2021, García returned to Girona on a two-year contract, with the club now in Segunda División. He made his return debut for the club on 14 August, the first matchday of the 2021–22 season, starting in a 2–0 victory against Amorebieta. On 2 December 2021, García scored his first goal for the club upon returning, closing the score in a 5–1 away win in the Copa del Rey over fourth tier Calvo Sotelo Puertollano. He made 45 total appearances for the club in his first season, helping the club reach promotion to La Liga in the play-offs.

On 26 February 2023, García opened the scoring in a historic 3–2 win over Athletic Bilbao, Girona's first ever win away against Athletic at San Mamés.

Bayer Leverkusen On 13 June 2024, after a successful season for Girona, Garcia moved to Bayer Leverkusen for more than €18 million.

International career García was a youth international footballer for Spain. On 10 November 2023, he was called up for the senior national team for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches. On 16 November, he made his debut in a 3–1 away win over Cyprus.

On 27 May 2024, he was selected in the 29-man preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. However, on 7 June, he was excluded from the final squad prior to the tournament.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Bayer Leverkusen DFL-Supercup: 2024

Girona Supercopa de Catalunya: 2019

Individual La Liga Team of the Season: 2023–24