Rafael García Torres

For other people named Rafael García, see Rafael García.
Rafael García
Personal information
Full name Jose Rafael García Torres
Date of birth (1974-08-14) August 14, 1974
Place of birth Mexico City, Mexico
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 América (assistant manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1998 UNAM 134 (19)
1998–2004 Toluca 214 (27)
2004–2006 Cruz Azul 32 (2)
2005–2006 → Atlas (loan) 27 (0)
2007–2008 Veracruz 19 (0)
National team‡
1996–2006 Mexico 52 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 May 2007.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23 June 2006

José Rafael García Torres (born 14 August 1974) is a former Mexican footballer who is currently serving as assistant manager to Ricardo La Volpe at Club América.

As a player, he was a participant in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.[1]

Club career

A midfielder comfortable in the center or on the left side, García began his club career with UNAM in 1992.[2] During the 1994-95 season, he established himself in the Pumas lineup, appearing in 32 matches and scoring 8 goals.[2] In the summer of 1998 he left for Toluca, beginning a six-year stint at the club. At Toluca, García won league titles during the Verano 1999,[3] Verano 2000,[4] and Apertura 2002[5] seasons, appearing in the finals on each occasion. Playing wide on the left alongside Fabián Estay and Víctor Ruiz in his early years with Toluca,[3] García later formed a central midfield trio with Israel López and Antonio Naelson.[5] In 2004 he moved to Cruz Azul, joined Atlas for one year in 2005, then returned to Cruz Azul briefly before finishing his top-division career in 2008 with Veracruz.[2]

International career

García also earned 52 caps for the Mexico national team, scoring three times. He made his international debut on February 7, 1996 in a 2-1 loss against Chile.[6] In the 1996 U.S. Cup, he scored his first international goal with a bending free kick against the United States at the Rose Bowl.[7] García represented Mexico in four matches of the 1997 Copa América,[8] but missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After the appointment of Manuel Lapuente as national coach, García appeared at the 1999 Copa América[9] and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, which Mexico won.[10] Recalled to the team for the 2002 World Cup, he played 14 minutes in the opening-round match against Italy.[11] García remained in the team under new coach Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe, helping Mexico to victory in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup and scoring in the quarterfinal against Jamaica.[12] Although he also played in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup[13] and five qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,[14] he did not play any matches in the 2006 competition itself. García made his final international appearance in a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands on June 1, 2006.[15]

At junior international levels, García competed for Mexico at the 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship and 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship,[14] as well as the 1996 Summer Olympics.[16]

Honours

International:

Clubs:

References

  1. ↑ FIFA. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: Mexico". Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 MedioTiempo. "Rafael García - Veracruz". Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  3. 1 2 MedioTiempo. "Toluca 2 (5-4) 2 Atlas". June 6, 1999. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ MedioTiempo. "Toluca 5 - 1 Santos". June 3, 2000. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  5. 1 2 MedioTiempo. "Toluca 4 - 1 Morelia". December 21, 2002. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  6. ↑ Morrison, Neil. "International Matches 1996 - Intercontinental, January-March". RSSSF, February 2, 2005. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ Jones, Grahame L. "Mexico Wins U.S. Cup '96; Americans Look Ahead". Los Angeles Times, June 17, 1996. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  8. ↑ Tabeira, Martín. "Copa América 1997". RSSSF, August 2, 2007. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  9. ↑ Tabeira, Martín. "Copa América 1999". RSSSF, May 31, 2012. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  10. ↑ Courtney, Barrie. "Intercontinental Cup for Nations 1999". RSSSF, December 21, 2005. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  11. ↑ FIFA. "2002 FIFA World Cup Match Report: Mexico - Italy 1:1". June 13, 2002. Retrieved on March 29, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ Saaid, Hamdan. "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2003 - Full Details". RSSSF, December 6, 2006. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  13. ↑ Courtney, Barrie & Saaid, Hamdan. "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2005 - Full Details". RSSSF, July 30, 2005. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  14. 1 2 FIFA. "FIFA Player Statistics: Rafael GARCIA". Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  15. ↑ CONCACAF.com. "Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago drop friendlies to European squads". CONCACAF, June 1, 2006. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
  16. ↑ "José García Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
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