Eric García

Eric Garcia Martret ( ; born 9 January 2001) is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays for club Barcelona and the Spain national team. Primarily a centre-back, he is also capable of playing as a full-back or defensive midfielder.

Garcia 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. He was part of the Spain team at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Club career Early career Born in Martorell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Garcia 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. 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.

Garcia 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 Garcia, with City recording a 2–1 victory against Everton.

On 17 June 2020, Garcia 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, he was involved in a collision with goalkeeper Ederson and initially left him unconscious. Garcia received lengthy on-field treatment before being stretchered off and supplied with oxygen. Despite the seriousness of the incident, Garcia was discharged from hospital the next day. Manager Pep Guardiola stated in a press conference Garcia'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 Garcia had rejected a contract extension, despite ending the league campaign as City's first-choice partner for Aymeric Laporte.

Barcelona

On 1 June 2021, Garcia 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, Garcia 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, Garcia 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. He eventually scored five goals in total, becoming one of the league's top-scoring defenders.

Return to Barcelona Garcia returned to Barcelona after his loan spell ended. On 4 January 2025, he scored his first goal since rejoining the team in a 4–0 away victory over UD Barbastro in the Copa del Rey. On 21 January, he netted his maiden Champions League goal in a 5–4 away victory over Benfica.

Later, on 6 May 2025, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan, Garcia started as a right-back due to the injury to Jules Koundé and scored the first goal for Barcelona after they went down 2-0 in the first half. Just five days later, in a home El Clásico showdown against Real Madrid, Garcia once again scored the first goal for Barcelona after they went down 2-0 in the first half, marking his first career El Clásico goal.

After an impressive 2024–25 season under Hansi Flick, he became a regular member of Barcelona's squad during the 2025–26 season, featuring consistently across all competitions. On 25 September 2025, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 comeback victory over Real Oviedo in La Liga.

On 11 December 2025, Garcia put pen to paper on a new long term deal at the club, keeping him at the club till 30 June 2031. In the second leg of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Atlético Madrid, Garcia was sent off in the 79th minute after a VAR review overturned the referee's initial decision, with the dismissal reducing Barcelona to ten men as they were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.

International career

After representing Spain at under-19 and under-21 levels, Garcia 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, Garcia was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020. Additionally, Garcia was included in the squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

On 25 May 2026, Garcia was named in Spain’s' squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A substitute, Eric played only one match, coming on during extra time in the final, as Spain defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time to win the title.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals Manchester City U21 2018–19

2018–19 Premier League

2020–21 Premier League

2021–22 La Liga

2022–23 La Liga

2023–24 La Liga

2024–25 La Liga

2025–26 La Liga

2026–27 La Liga

117!!4!!14!!1!!0!!0!!33!!2!!4!!0!!168!!7 Girona (loan) 2023–24

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, 2024–25, 2025–26 Copa del Rey: 2024–25 Supercopa de España: 2023, 2025, 2026

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 Olympic Gold Medal: 2024; silver medal: 2020

Spain FIFA World Cup: 2026 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