Aleix García

Aleix García
García with Spain U18 in 2015
Personal information
Full name Aleix García Serrano[1]
Date of birth (1997-06-28) 28 June 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Ulldecona, Spain
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bayer Leverkusen
Number 24
Youth career
2002–2005 Ulldecona
2005–2015 Villarreal
2015–2016 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Villarreal 1 (0)
2015–2020 Manchester City 4 (0)
2017–2019Girona (loan) 51 (3)
2019–2020Mouscron (loan) 23 (5)
2020–2021 Dinamo București 7 (0)
2021 Eibar 11 (0)
2021–2024 Girona 98 (4)
2024– Bayer Leverkusen 7 (0)
International career
2013 Spain U16 2 (0)
2013–2014 Spain U17 9 (1)
2015 Spain U18 2 (2)
2016 Spain U19 1 (0)
2018 Spain U21 1 (0)
2023– Spain 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024

Aleix García Serrano (Catalan: [əˈleʒ ɣəɾˈsi.ə]; Spanish: [aˈleʃ ɣaɾˈθi.a];[A] born 28 June 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Spain national team.

Club career

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Villarreal

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Born in Ulldecona, Tarragona, Catalonia, García joined Villarreal CF's youth setup in 2005, aged eight, after starting out at CF Ulldecona.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

Manchester City

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On 27 August 2015, García joined Premier League side Manchester City.[5] He was selected by then-City manager Manuel Pellegrini against Chelsea on 21 February 2016 in the fifth round of the FA Cup.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] He next started a month later on 26 October, in another EFL Cup match, a 1–0 loss to Manchester United.[9]

Girona (loan)

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On 1 August 2017, García was loaned to newly promoted La Liga club Girona FC until the end of the season.[10] He was loaned again for the 2018–19 season.[11]

Royal Excel Mouscron (loan)

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García was loaned to Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron for the 2019–20 season.[12]

Dinamo București & Eibar

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On 8 October 2020, he signed a contract with Romanian club Dinamo București, until the end of the season.[13] On 18 January 2021, after featuring sparingly, he returned to Spain and its top tier after signing for Eibar on a free transfer.[14]

Return to Girona

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On 23 July 2021, García returned to Girona on a two-year contract, with the club now in Segunda División.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] He made 45 total appearances for the club in his first season, helping the club reach promotion to La Liga in the play-offs.[18]

On 26 February 2023, García opened the score in a historic 3–2 La Liga win over Athletic Bilbao, Girona's first ever win away against Bilbao at San Mamés.[19]

Bayer Leverkusen

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On 13 June 2024, after a successful season for Girona, Garcia moved to Bayer 04 Leverkusen for more than €18 million.[20][21]

International career

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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.[22] On 16 November, he made his debut in a 3–1 away win over Cyprus.[23]

On 27 May 2024, he was selected in the 29-man preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[24] However, on 7 June, he was excluded from the final squad prior to the tournament.[25]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 5 October 2024[26]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Villarreal B 2013–14 Segunda División B 3 0 3 0
2014–15 7 0 7 4
Total 10 0 10 0
Villarreal C 2014–15 Tercera División 27 4 27 4
Villarreal 2014–15 La Liga 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Manchester City 2015–16 Premier League 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2016–17 4 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 8 1
Total 4 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 9 1
Girona (loan) 2017–18 La Liga 20 1 1 0 21 1
2018–19 31 2 3 0 34 2
Total 51 3 4 0 55 3
Mouscron (loan) 2019–20 Belgian Pro League 23 5 2 0 25 5
Dinamo București 2020–21 Liga I 7 0 1 0 8 0
Eibar 2020–21 La Liga 11 0 0 0 11 0
Girona 2021–22 Segunda División 38 0 3 1 4[c] 0 45 1
2022–23 La Liga 30 1 2 0 32 1
2023–24 37 3 3 0 40 3
Total 98 3 8 1 4 0 110 4
Bayer Leverkusen 2024–25 Bundesliga 5 0 1 0 2[d] 0 1[e] 0 9 0
Career total 237 15 19 1 2 1 2 0 5 0 265 17

International

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As of match played 15 October 2024[27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2023 1 0
2024 3 0
Total 4 0

Honours

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Bayer Leverkusen

Girona

Individual

Notes

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  1. ^ In isolation, García is pronounced [ɡəɾˈsi.ə]/[ɡaɾˈθi.a], and Aleix [əˈleʃ].

References

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  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Trabajo con ganas e ilusión para hacerme con un hueco este año en el Villarreal B" [I work with eagerness and hope to fit in to Villarreal B this year]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). 29 July 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. ^ "¡Victoria del Villarreal B en Badalona!" [Victory of Villarreal B in Badalona!] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  4. ^ "El Athletic monta la fiesta" [Athletic party mounts]. Marca (in Spanish). 23 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  5. ^ Richard Jolly (27 August 2015). "Aleix Garcia joins Manchester City from Villarreal". ESPN. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Man City give five young players debuts in FA Cup game at Chelsea". ESPN. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  7. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (17 September 2016). "Manchester City 4–0 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  8. ^ Mooney, David (21 September 2016). "Teenager Aleix Garcia impresses as Man City defeat Swansea in EFL Cup". ESPN. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  9. ^ McKeegan, Alice (27 October 2016). "Guardiola praises two Man City players after EFL Cup defeat to Manchester United". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Aleix García will strengthen the midfield of Girona" (in Catalan). Girona FC. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Manchester City starlet Aleix García heading to Spain for new loan move". City Watch. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  12. ^ "City loans Aleix García... to Mouscron!" (in Spanish). Marca. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Aleix Garcia Serrano la Dinamo Bucureşti". fcdinamo.ro (in Romanian). 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  14. ^ Barroso, Ander (18 January 2021). "Aleix García, nuevo jugador del Eibar" [Aleix García, new Eibar player]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Segona etapa d'Aleix Garcia al Girona FC" [Second spell of Aleix Garcia at Girona FC] (in Catalan). Girona FC. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  16. ^ "El Girona vence en casa al Amorebieta por 2–0" [Girona beats Amorebieta 2–0 at home]. sport (in Spanish). 14 August 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  17. ^ Solà, Nil (2 December 2021). "1–5: El Girona arrolla al Calvo Sotelo en Puertollano" [1–5: Girona overwhelm Calvo Sotelo in Puertollano]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Girona gets promoted to First Division!". Girona FC. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  19. ^ "El Girona hace historia en San Mamés" [Girona make history at San Mamés]. sport (in Spanish). 26 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Official | Bayer Leverkusen sign Aleix Garcia from Girona". Get German Football News. OneFootball. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen signs Girona midfielder Aleix García ahead of Bundesliga title defense". Associated Press. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Spain calls up Girona midfielder Aleix García for final 2 European qualifiers". AP News. 10 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Aleix García's sweetest moment". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 15 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Euro 2024 provisional squad". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  25. ^ "OFFICIAL | Final Spain squad for the Euro 2024 finals". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  26. ^ Aleix García at Soccerbase
  27. ^ "Aleix García". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen battle back to beat VfB Stuttgart on penalties in Supercup". Bundesliga. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Los Premios 'Team Of The Season' de LALIGA y EA SPORTS desvelan los 15 mejores jugadores de la temporada" (in Spanish). La Liga. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
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