After 18 seasons and 514 matches, midfielder Javi Garcia announced his retirement on Wednesday evening.
Most recently of Boavista in Portugal, Garcia brought his career to an end with an announcement on Instagram. Now aged 35, Garcia came through the Real Madrid academy and made 31 appearances for the senior team mostly under Manuel Pellegrini.
He also spent a season at Osasuna on loan and was at Real Betis from 2017-20, although his most successful spells were at Benfica, Manchester City and Zenit St. Petersburg.
At City he was reunited with Pellegrini and was part of their 2014 Premier League victory. He also made two appearances for the Spanish national team at a time when competition was at its highest in midfield.
In an emotional and lengthy post, Garcia gave thanks to all of his managers and all of the fans he crossed paths with for ‘making the dream of a boy from Murcia come true.’ The last 18 months were spent in Portugal with Boavista and according to Estadio Deportivo, he may be on the verge of becoming part of the coaching team at Benfica.
