Miguel Garcia (Portuguese footballer)

Not to be confused with Migue García.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Moita and the second or paternal family name is García.

Miguel Ângelo Moita Garcia (born 4 February 1983) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played mainly as a right-back.

Miguel Garcia

Garcia in action for Orduspor in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Miguel Ângelo Moita Garcia[1]
Date of birth	(1983-02-04) 4 February 1983 (age 41)[1]
Place of birth	Moura, Portugal[1]
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1992–1997	Moura
1997–2002	Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2003	Sporting CP B	37	(0)
2003–2007	Sporting CP	61	(0)
2007–2008	Reggina	0	(0)
2009	Olhanense	11	(0)
2010–2011	Braga	23	(0)
2011–2013	Orduspor	56	(2)
2013–2014	Mallorca	10	(0)
2014	NorthEast United	13	(0)
2015	Sporting Goa	17	(0)
2015	NorthEast United	1	(0)
Total		229	(2)
International career
2001	Portugal U17	7	(0)
2001–2002	Portugal U19	12	(0)
2003	Portugal U20	7	(0)
2004–2005	Portugal U21	12	(0)
2006	Portugal B	1	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2004 Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Garcia was born in Moura, Alentejo, being a youth product of Sporting CP and making his debut with the first team in 2003–04, in a 2–1 away win against Académica de Coimbra where he played the first half.^[2] The following season was remarkable for him: first, against S.L. Benfica in the Taça de Portugal, he missed the penalty that eliminated his team in the round of 16 on 26 January 2005.^[3] On 5 May, in the last minute of extra time, he scored a header in the UEFA Cup semi-finals second leg against AZ Alkmaar, as Sporting lost 3–2 away but qualified through the away goals rule.^[4]

Garcia signed a pre-contract agreement with Reggina Calcio, joining in summer 2007 after his link with Sporting expired. He suffered a serious knee injury in October, and did not play a single match for the Italian side; on 17 March of the following year, the club communicated the decision to terminate his contract.^[5]

In July 2009, after more than two years out of football, Garcia joined Jorge Costa's S.C. Olhanense, recently promoted to the Primeira Liga.^[6] However, as João Pereira arrived from S.C. Braga to former side Sporting in late December, he was chosen as his immediate replacement, moving for €50,000 on a one-and-a-half-year contract.^[7]

On 1 September 2014, after spells in Turkey^[8] and Spain,^[9] Garcia joined NorthEast United FC for the inaugural campaign of the Indian Super League.^[10][11] On 15 January of the following year he signed with another club in the nation, I-League's Sporting Clube de Goa,^[12] returning to his previous team on 20 June.^[13]

After suffering a bilateral achilles tendinopathy injury in the opening game of the 2015 season, against Kerala Blasters FC on 6 October, Garcia was sidelined for several months.^[14]

International career

Garcia was a member of the Portugal under-21 side at the 2004 UEFA European Championship, which saw them finish in third place.^[15] He failed to gain a place in the squad that competed in Olympic football in Athens the same year, however.^[16]

Post-retirement

After retiring, Garcia majored in real estate and started his own company.^[17]

Career statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sporting CP	2003–04[18]	Primeira Liga	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2004–05[18]	Primeira Liga	15	0	2	0	7[a]	1	24	1
	2005–06[18]	Primeira Liga	16	0	4	0	3[b]	0	23	0
	2006–07[18]	Primeira Liga	5	0	1	0	2[c]	0	8	0
	Total		61	0	7	0	12	1	80	1
Reggina	2007–08[18]	Serie A	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Olhanense	2009–10[18]	Primeira Liga	11	0	1	0	—		12	0
Braga	2009–10[18]	Primeira Liga	5	0	2	0	0	0	7	0
	2010–11[18]	Primeira Liga	18	0	3	0	15[d]	0	36	0
	Total		23	0	5	0	15	0	43	0
Orduspor	2011–12[19]	Süper Lig	30	2	5	0	—		35	2
	2012–13[19]	Süper Lig	26	0	1	0	—		27	0
	Total		56	2	6	0	—		62	2
Mallorca	2013–14[19]	Segunda División	10	0	0	0	—		10	0
NorthEast United	2014[19]	Indian Super League	13	0	—				13	0
Sporting Goa	2015[19]	I-League	17	0	0	0	—		17	0
NorthEast United	2015[19]	Indian Super League	1	0	—				1	0
Career total			192	2	19	0	27	1	238	3

1. Appearances in UEFA Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League

Honours

Sporting CP

• Taça de Portugal: 2006–07^[20]
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2004–05^[21]

Braga

• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2010–11^[21]

References

1. "Miguel Garcia" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
2. "Académica-Sporting, 1–2 (Alvim 52; Lourenço 67, Beto 90)". Record (in Portuguese). 16 August 2003. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
3. "Taça: Benfica derrota Sporting ao 14º penálti" [Cup: Benfica defeat Sporting at the 14th penalty] (in Portuguese). Relvado. 26 January 2005. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
4. "2004/05: Carvalho inspires CSKA to 'landmark victory'". UEFA. 1 June 2005. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
5. "Comunicato stampa" [Official announcement] (in Italian). Reggina Calcio. 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
6. "Miguel Garcia assina por duas épocas com o Olhanense" [Miguel Garcia signs for two seasons with Olhanense]. Público (in Portuguese). 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
7. "OFICIAL: Miguel Garcia é jogador do Sp. Braga" [OFFICIAL: Miguel Garcia is a Sp. Braga player] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 29 December 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
8. "Braga'lı Garcia Orduspor'da" [Braga's Garcia to Orduspor] (in Turkish). Haberciniz. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
9. "El Mallorca ficha al portugués Miguel García" [Mallorca sign Portuguese Miguel Garcia]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
10. "Sindicato consegue clube para Miguel Garcia na Índia" [Union finds club for Miguel Garcia in India] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
11. "NorthEast United FC signs Portuguese Miguel Garcia". Football Masala. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
12. Mergulhao, Marcus (15 January 2015). "Sporting sign Garcia". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
13. Chandra, Shikharr (20 June 2015). "NorthEast United retain Miguel Garcia". Goal. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
14. Parasar, Swapnaneel (15 October 2015). "Indian Super League: Miguel Garcia, Kondwani Mtonga and Boubacar Sanogo ruled out of ISL". Goal. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
15. "Portugal earn Athens adventure". UEFA. 8 June 2004. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
16. "Fernando Meira, Boa Morte e Ronaldo convocados para os Jogos Olímpicos" [Fernando Meira, Boa Morte and Ronaldo selected for the Olympic Games]. Público (in Portuguese). 21 July 2004. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
17. Pereira, Sérgio (4 October 2018). "Miguel Garcia, a nova vida do herói de Alkmaar" [Miguel Garcia, the new life of the hero of Alkmaar] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
18. Miguel Garcia at ForaDeJogo (archived)
19. "Miguel Garcia". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
20. "Taça de Portugal: Sporting goleia (6–0) Pinhalnovense" [Portuguese Cup: Sporting rout (6–0) Pinhalnovense]. Público (in Portuguese). 10 February 2007. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
21. Cruz Martins, André (17 December 2016). ""No intervalo da final da Taça UEFA de 2005 já pensávamos onde íamos comemorar"" ["We were already thinking about where we were going to celebrate during half-time of the 2005 UEFA Cup final"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

External links

• Miguel Garcia at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Miguel Garcia at the Turkish Football Federation
• Miguel Garcia national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)