Óscar García Junyent (born 26 April 1973), known simply as Óscar as a player, is a Spanish former 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 ...

, currently a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

. He was a versatile attacking option as a player, able to feature as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

or a

second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. He spent most of his 14-year professional career with

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, with relative impact, appearing for four other clubs. In

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

, Óscar amassed totals of 169 matches and 31 goals over 12 seasons, also representing Espanyol (four years),

Albacete Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the ...

, Lleida and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

(one apiece). He started working as a manager in 2009, winning league titles in Israel and Austria.

Playing career

Club

Born in Sabadell,

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

, Óscar made his professional debut with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

, his local team. Between 1992 and 1994 he played five

matches for ''Barça'' who were champions each year and, after a loan at fellow top division club

Albacete Balompié Albacete Balompié is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Founded on 2 August 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División, the second tier of Spanish football, holding home matches ...

, he returned and was often used (with good results) in a variety of attacking roles: during the 1995–96 season he scored ten league goals, the most in the squad, even though he only started 11 of his 28 appearances; the team came out empty in silverware, however. With his role gradually diminishing, Óscar joined

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...

for one season, finishing off with Barcelona neighbours

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...

(teaming up again with brother

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

, for three seasons) and

UE Lleida Unió Esportiva Lleida was a Spanish football team based in Lleida, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. It was founded as ''Lérida Balompié-AEM'' on 30 October 1939, and became ''Unión Deportiva Lérida'' in 1947, after a merger with '' ...

and retiring in June 2005 at the age of 32. On 7 January 2001, whilst playing for the second club against

CD Numancia Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games at ''Nuevo Estadio Los ...

, he was taken to hospital after swallowing his tongue. Óscar nearly signed for

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

in summer 2002, but an eventual deal fell through after a one week's trial and he returned to Espanyol, with whom he never scored more than one goal per season in four years.

International

For

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, Óscar appeared for

the nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, scoring twice for the eventual quarter-finalists.

Coaching career

Maccabi Tel Aviv and England

In late 2009, García joined former Barcelona coach

Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...

's coaching staff in the Catalonia national team, as the Dutchman had just been appointed. On 22 May 2012 he had his first head coach appointment, signing a two-year contract with

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי תל אביב; ''Moadon Kaduregel Maccabi Tel Aviv'') is an Israeli football club from Tel Aviv and part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Sport Club. Founded in 1906 in Jaffa a ...

, where Cruyff's son

Jordi Jordi () is the Catalan form of the ancient Greek name Georgios. Jordi is a popular name in Catalonia and is also given in the Netherlands and in Spanish-, English- and German-speaking countries. Jordi may also refer to: * Sant Jordi – patron ...

acted as

sporting director A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...

. Exactly one year later, after leading the club to the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

after a ten-year drought, he resigned from his post citing personal reasons. García was unveiled as the new head coach of Football League Championship side

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...

on 26 June 2013, replacing

Gus Poyet Gustavo Augusto Poyet Domínguez (; born 15 November 1967) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former footballer. He is currently the head coach of the Greece national football team. Poyet played as a midfielder and began his car ...

. His first win came on 17 August, 1–0 at

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

; he was November's Manager of the Month, with three wins and a draw. On 12 May 2014, following their play off semi-final defeat to

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

, his offer of resignation was accepted by the board. On 2 June 2014, García returned to Maccabi by signing a two-year contract, but left on 26 August due to ongoing war. A week later he was appointed at

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

, replacing Giuseppe Sannino. He was admitted to hospital with minor chest pains on 15 September, forcing him to miss the team's upcoming match with Blackpool. These health problems eventually led to him stepping down, two weeks later.

Red Bull Salzburg

Austrian

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

holders FC Red Bull Salzburg hired García on 28 December 2015, following the dismissal of Peter Zeidler. His team, for which fellow Spaniard

Jonathan Soriano Jonathan Soriano Casas (; born 24 September 1985) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent his early career with Espanyol and Barcelona, mostly with the respective reserve teams. In January 2012 he moved to ...

was the main striker, ended the season as national champions. On 19 May the latter scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 cup final victory over

FC Admira Wacker Mödling Fußballklub Flyeralarm Admira Wacker Mödling, also known as Flyeralarm Admira for sponsorship reasons or simply Admira, is a football club from Mödling, Austria. The club was originally formed in 1905 as ''SK Admira Wien'' in the Austrian cap ...

to seal another double. In 2016–17, Salzburg retained both major honours. After the loss of Soriano, García built the attack around South Korean

Hwang Hee-chan Hwang Hee-chan ( ko, 황희찬; born 26 January 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the South Korea national team. Hwang is nicknamed the "Bull" (''Hwang ...

Saint-Étienne

On 15 June 2017, AS Saint-Étienne signed García to a two-year contract. In November, however, following a 5–0 home loss against Olympique Lyonnais in the Derby du Rhone, he left the club by mutual agreement.

Olympiacos

Olympiacos F.C. announced García as their new manager on 5 January 2018, to replace Takis Lemonis. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 3 April, following a 1–1 away draw with Levadiakos FC; the side had also been eliminated from the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

for a third consecutive year, and he was held partially responsible for the lack of dressing room, training and match discipline.

Celta

García had his first head coach experience in Spain in November 2019, when he took over for Fran Escribá at RC Celta de Vigo who stood third from the bottom in the standings. His team stayed up on the last day of the season, as CD Leganés could not win their fixture. On 9 November 2020, after only one win in nine matches of the new campaign, García was dismissed.

Reims

García returned to the French Ligue 1 in June 2021, being appointed at Stade de Reims on a three-year deal. Starting with a goalless draw at OGC Nice on 8 August, he won on his fifth attempt with a 2–0 victory at

Stade Rennais FC Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pla ...

. García's one full season at the

Stade Auguste-Delaune The Stade Auguste-Delaune is a multi-use stadium in Reims, France. It is used mostly for football matches and hosts the home matches of Stade Reims. The stadium was one of the venues for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women's Wo ...

resulted in a 12th-place finish. He was relieved of his duties on 13 October 2022, with his team 15th.

Personal life

García's brothers,

and Genís, were also footballers. All youth products of Barcelona, they had however different fates as professionals (especially the latter). On 17 June 1997, during the final of the

Copa Catalunya The Copa Catalunya (''Catalonia Cup'') is a knockout competition organised by the Catalan Football Federation for football clubs in the Catalonia autonomous community of Spain. History Between 1903 and 1940, it was known as the '' Champions ...

, all three appeared with the first team in a 3–1 loss to

CE Europa Club Esportiu Europa is a Spanish football team based in the city of Barcelona in the district of Gràcia, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1907, it plays in the Segunda División RFEF – Group 3, holding home games at '' No ...

Managerial statistics

Honours

FC Red Bull Salzburg versus Wolfsberger AC (15

Player

Club

Barcelona *

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99 *

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

: 1996–97, 1997–98 *

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

: 1996–97 *

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Valencia * Supercopa de España:

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

International

Spain U-21 *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

runner-up: 1996; third place

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

Manager

Maccabi Tel Aviv *

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 ...

Red Bull Salzburg * Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2015–16, 2016–17 * Austrian Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17

Individual

* Football League Manager of the Month: November 2013

References

External links

*
FC Barcelona profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Oscar 1973 births Living people Sportspeople from Sabadell Spanish footballers Footballers from Catalonia Association football midfielders Association football forwards La Liga players Segunda División players FC Barcelona Atlètic players FC Barcelona players Albacete Balompié players Valencia CF players RCD Espanyol footballers UE Lleida players Spain youth international footballers Spain under-21 international footballers Spain under-23 international footballers Olympic footballers of Spain Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Catalonia international footballers Spanish football managers Israeli Premier League managers Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. managers English Football League managers Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers Watford F.C. managers Austrian Football Bundesliga managers FC Red Bull Salzburg managers Ligue 1 managers AS Saint-Étienne managers Stade de Reims managers Super League Greece managers Olympiacos F.C. managers La Liga managers RC Celta de Vigo managers Spanish expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Israel Expatriate football managers in England Expatriate football managers in Austria Expatriate football managers in France Expatriate football managers in Greece Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Israel Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Austria Spanish expatriate sportspeople in France Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Greece