Levi Samuel García (born 20 November 1997) is a Trinidadian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for

Greek Super League The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

club AEK Athens and the Trinidad and Tobago national team. García began his

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

football career in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, at the age of 15, with T&TEC in his native

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. After one season with the ''Electricity Boys'', he completed a free transfer to fellow TT Pro League club Central FC. However, prior to making his first-team debut for the ''Couva Sharks'', Garcia signed with AZ Alkmaar of the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

in February 2015. After spending two years in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, García moved to AEK Athens in 2020. Considered one of the best footballers of the Greek league during his spell in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and able to play both as a winger and as a centre forward, García has been appraised for his muscle, his fitness, his dribbling, his tactical prowess and his exceptionally high jumping, having a playstyle described as similar to

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

Early life

García was born on 20 November 1997 in

Santa Flora Santa Flora is a community in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in southern Trinidad, and is administered by the Siparia Regional Corporation. History After the discovery of light crude in the Palo Seco oilfield, the Trinidad Petr ...

, Trinidad and Tobago to parents Carl and Judith, and comes from a football family consisting of three brothers (Daniel,

Nathaniel , nickname = {{Plainlist, * Nat * Nate , footnotes = Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael. People with the name Nathaniel * Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player * Nate A ...

, and Judah) who have represented different local clubs and two sisters (Carla and Adanna) who are also fans of the

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

. In fact, the three brothers would play football in their backyard for hours when younger. In particular, García credits his early football influence to his eldest brother Daniel after he encouraged Levi to become a better player and rented a car or ordered a taxi to ensure that he attended youth training and matches. At the age of 14, García attended Shiva Boys' Hindu College in Penal, Trinidad and also enrolled in the youth program at former TT Pro League club T&TEC. However, after one season with the ''Electricity Boys'', the club suspended its football operations citing financial difficulties. Over the next two years, Garcia played alternatively for Shiva Boys' Hindu College and local youth club Siparia Spurs. In 2012, playing as a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

, García led Shiva Boys to the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) South Zone title and qualified as one of four schools for the

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

. During the competition, Garcia scored one goal in three appearances to help the Shiva Boys progress in the competition before falling to Central FC in the quarterfinals.

Club career

Early career

After spending the previous year in the club's youth program, García made his full professional debut for T&TEC of the TT Pro League, at the age of 15, after making appearances during the club's run-in to close the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season. Due to the club's severe financial struggles and inability to pay its salaried players, ''Electricity Boys manager Dexter Cyrus decided to feature some of its younger players, which included the three Garcia brothers, in Pro League matches. In March 2014, García signed his first professional contract with Central FC of the TT Pro League on a two-year agreement. However, prior to his first appearance for the club, he was discovered in September 2014 while playing for

during qualification for the

2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship The 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was an association football tournament that took place from 9 to 24 January 2015 in Jamaica. It determined the four CONCACAF teams that would participate at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Q ...

by Dutch agent Humphry Nijman. After an initial struggle between Central and Nijman, the two parties came to an agreement through mediation involving the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association to allow Garcia participate for a trial in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

AZ Alkmaar

On 20 February 2015, García signed a pre-contract agreement for three years with a club option for a two-year extension with AZ Alkmaar of the

following a successful trial with the club. However, he was unable to begin his professional career until his eighteenth birthday due to existing

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

labour laws Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

. After several months of difficult negotiations, Garcia's former club Central FC agreed upon an undisclosed transfer fee in June 2015 with AZ.

Rapid rise to the first team (2016–2018)

During the club's preparation for the 2015–16 season, García received training and special attention from former Dutch international

Marco Van Basten Marcel "Marco" van Basten (; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch football manager and retired professional player, who played for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team, as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pl ...

who had served as an assistant manager for the club earlier in the year before stepping away for health reasons. On 24 January 2016, García made his professional and league debut for AZ Alkmaar against

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...

after coming on for Dabney dos Santos in the 68th minute with his club leading 4–1. Aged just 18 years and 65 days, García became the youngest

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

footballer to make an appearance for a European club, beating a record previously held by former

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

striker Dwight Yorke. One week later, he scored his first professional goal in less than a minute after coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in a 3–0 win over

NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion fr ...

to become the club's second youngest ever scorer. In his first season at AZ, García made eight league appearances and nine in all competitions having scored one league goal and recording one assist to help AZ finish fourth in the

and qualify for the

2016–17 UEFA Europa League The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The 2017 UEFA Eu ...

Jong AZ and Excelsior (2018)

After having played for Jong AZ for most of the first half of the 2017–18 season, struggling to make first team appearances, García was sent out on loan to

S.B.V. Excelsior Excelsior Rotterdam, commonly known as Excelsior, is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football from the 2022–23 season following promotion. The club was found ...

, another Eredivisie club, for the remainder of the season.

Ironi Kiryat Shmona

In May 2018, with his Alkmaar contract due to expire at the end of the season, it was announced García would join Israeli Premier League side

Ironi Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל עירוני קרית שמונה) known as Ironi Kiryat Shmona is an Israeli football club based in Kiryat Shmona. The club is a current member of the Israeli Pr ...

for the 2018–19 season.

Beitar Jerusalem

On 30 May 2019, García signed to

Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jeru ...

AEK Athens

On 14 September 2020, AEK Athens signed the 22-year-old international by offering

€2.6 million to acquire 60% of García's rights, plus bonuses. On 27 September 2020, he scored the opening goal of the 3–0 win of AEK Athens against Lamia on his league debut. On 13 December 2020, García scored with a direct corner kick in a 4–3 away win against

Apollon Smyrnis Apollon Smyrnis Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Απόλλων Σμύρνης), or in its full name Gymnasticos Syllogos Apollon Smyrnis ( el, links=no, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Απόλλων Σμύρνης, ''Gymnastics Club Apollon o ...

. On 14 January 2021, García scored with a direct free-kick to give his team a 1–0 away win against

Aris Thessaloniki Athlitikos Syllogos Aris Thessalonikis, means Athletic Club Aris Thessaloniki
...

. On 20 January 2021, he came in off the bench and sealed a 2–0 home win against

for the first leg of the Greek Cup round of 16. On 28 February 2021, he scored in a 1–1 away draw against

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

. His first two seasons in

weren't as productive as anticipated, but

Matías Almeyda Matías Jesús Almeyda (; born 21 December 1973) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Greek Super League club AEK Athens. Nicknamed ''El Pelado'' ("bald one") despite his traditionally l ...

's appointment as the club's new coach at the start of 2022–23 season was crucial to his resurgence. Under the guidance of the Argentine, Levi transformed into a great striker, exploiting his speed and physical qualities. His adaptability and performances have been praised and as a result various clubs, including Villarreal and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

, are both keeping tabs on him, while AEK Athens are not willing to accept anything less than €15,000,000. On 2 August 2023, García signed a new contract with AEK Athens, running until the summer of 2028. His new contract will see him receive a fee of €1,2 million per year, thus ending the efforts of Lens to acquire him.

International career

García has represented

on various levels of international competition, having been capped for the under-17,

under-20 Junior is a category of athletics in which athletes compete under the age of 20 years. Countries all around the world compete in athletics. World Junior Athletics Competitions are held every two years which contain the best junior competitors in ...

, and the senior team.

Youth teams

He made his international debut for the under-17 team after replacing Brent Sam in the second half of their final match to help the ''Soca Warriors'' earn qualification for the

2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship The 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship was a North American international association football tournament that determined the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup participants from the CONCACAF region. The 2013 edition of the competition was held in Panama. Qu ...

. During the continental tournament, he made two consecutive starts in a loss to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and in a 2–0 win against

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

to advance to the knockout round. However, following a 4–2 loss to hosts

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, the ''Soca Warriors'' fell one win short of qualifying for the

2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fifteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tournament was held in the United Arab Emirates between 17 October and 8 November. Nigeria won the tournament after defeating Mexico 3–0 in the final, cla ...

. In September 2014, García represented the

team in central midfield en route to winning the 2014 Caribbean Under-20 Championship and qualifying for the

. Although he made four appearances during the CONCACAF Championship and impressed several

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an scouts, the ''Soca Warriors'' finished a disappointing fourth in their group with just one win and failed to qualify for the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

Senior team

García made his full international debut for the national team on 25 March 2016 against

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

during qualification for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

. García marked his national team debut with a pair of goals in the second half to lead the ''Soca Warriors'' to a 3–2 win. Garcia's goals made him

's youngest ever scorer in a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

qualification match at 18 years and 127 days old. Two months later, he made an additional two appearances for the ''Soca Warriors'' in losses against

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Trinidad and Tobago's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

Beitar Jerusalem *

Israeli Toto Cup The Israel Toto Cup ( he, גביע הטוטו, ''Gvia Ha'Toto'') is an association football tournament that features clubs in the two highest divisions in Israel: the Israeli Premier League ( Ligat Ha'Al), and the second division Liga Leumit. Fro ...

: 2019–20 AEK Athens *

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

* Greek Cup:

International

Trinidad and Tobago U20 *

CFU U-20 Tournament The CFU U-20 Tournament is the Caribbean championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). It acts as a qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship The CONCACAF Un ...

: 2014

Individual

* Youngest

professional footballer in

: 18 years and 65 days * Youngest Trinidadian professional goalscorer in Europe: 18 years and 71 days * Youngest player to play for

in a

qualification match: 18 years and 127 days * AEK Athens Player of the Season:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

* Super League Greece Team of the Season:

References

External links

Levi García
at AZ Alkmaar * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Levi 1997 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Trinidad and Tobago men's footballers Trinidad and Tobago men's international footballers Trinidad and Tobago expatriate men's footballers TT Pro League players Eredivisie players Israeli Premier League players Super League Greece players Central F.C. players AZ Alkmaar players Jong AZ players Excelsior Rotterdam players Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. players Beitar Jerusalem F.C. players AEK Athens F.C. players Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Expatriate men's footballers in Greece 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Trinidad and Tobago men's under-20 international footballers People from Siparia region