Nahikari García Pérez (born 10 March 1997) is a Spanish 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 lea ...

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) ** Smal ...

for

Liga F The Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino, currently known as the Liga F (finetwork Liga F for sponsorship reasons), is the highest level of Sports league, league competition for women's football in Spain. It is the women's equivalent ...

club

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

and the Spain women's national team. García began her professional career with

Añorga KKE Añorga Kirol eta Kultur Elkartea (Spanish: ''Sociedad Deportiva y Cultural Añorga'') is a Spanish sports club, sports and culture club from San Sebastián settled in the city's Añorga district. Founded in 1922, it comprises association footbal ...

before joining Real Sociedad in 2014. She went on to make over 200 appearances and holds the club's record for the most goals scored in a single season with her return of 16 goals in 2016. During her time with Real, she was nominated for the Primera División forward of the Season award and helped the club win its first ever

Copa de la Reina Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA may refer to: * Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet * Canadian Owners and Pilots Association * Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association * Parlia ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. She joined Real Madrid on 1 July 2021 after eight years at Real Sociedad. García returned to the Basque Country when she signed with

on 22 August 2023. García also represented

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

at various youth levels, reaching three major tournament finals, and captained the U19 team before making her senior debut in 2018.

Club career

Early career

García started playing football at the age of nine in

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

when she joined a sports programme with her local side in

Urnieta Urnieta is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. It is known for its Sagardotegi, restaurants that specialise in cider and regional food. ...

. The programme wasn't solely football based, however, which prompted to her to leave to sign for

where she spent seven years.

Real Sociedad

In the 2013–14 winter transfer market

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...

completed the signing of García, who was only sixteen at the time, from Añorga. On 5 January, just days after signing for the club, she was handed her Primera División debut by manager Unai Gazpio against Levante. She ended that season with four goals to her name in nine matches, and the 2014–15 campaign with nine goals from 26 appearances. In the following 2015–16 season García recorded a record-breaking tally of 16 goals, the most ever in a single season by a Real Sociedad player. Her haul included a notable goal against rivals

and a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

against Levante during December which propelled the ''Txuri-urdin'' to a fifth-place finish in the Primera División, the club's highest placing since its formation in 2004. Real Sociedad also made the quarter-finals of the

where they were eliminated 5–1 by eventual runners-up

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

, with García netting her side's only goal. Her form throughout the season saw her nominated for the Primera División Forward of the Season award. Early in September 2016, García appeared alongside

Charlyn Corral Verónica Charlyn Corral Ang (born 11 September 1991) is a Mexican footballer who plays as a striker for Liga MX Femenil club CF Pachuca and the Mexico women's national team. She has previously played for Atlético Madrid and Levante in Spain, ...

Alexia Putellas Alèxia Putellas i Segura ( , Alexia Putellas Segura; born 4 February 1994), often known mononymously as Alexia, is a Spanish professional footballer from Catalonia who plays as a midfielder or forward for Liga F club Barcelona, which she cap ...

Iraia Iturregi Iraia Iturregi Sustatxa (born 24 April 1985) is a Spanish retired football player who played as a midfielder for Athletic Bilbao of Spain's Primera División for most of her career. She currently acts as head coach of women's team Athletic Bil ...

and

Amanda Sampedro Amanda Sampedro Bustos (born 26 June 1993) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a forward and the Spain national team. International career A skillful forward noted for her creativity and vision, she was part of the Spanish team which ...

in a video promoting the buildup to 2016–17. She scored her first hat-trick for the season on 9 December in a 4–0 league victory over

Oiartzun Oiartzun (, ) is a town and municipality located in the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa lying at the foot of the massif Aiako Harria (Peñas de Aya in Spanish). Etymology The name traces back to ''Oiasso'' or ''Oiarso'', a Roman to ...

and in April the following year signed a new two-year deal with the club. A goal from García on the final match-day of the campaign was not enough to prevent Athletic from being crowned champions, as Real Sociedad went down 2–1 to their local

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

rivals. Real Sociedad struggled during the first half of the following season and in November the club sacked

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Juanjo Arregi. García was quick to dismiss criticism of her former coach in an interview with ''

Mundo Deportivo ''Mundo Deportivo'' (; ) is a Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper published in Barcelona. History and profile ''Mundo Deportivo'' was first published on 1 February 1906, as a weekly newspaper, and since 1929 daily. It is the oldest sports ...

'', stating that she was saddened by his departure and that the players should shoulder some of the blame. The following month, she scored five goals in a 6–1 win over

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

and in the process helped the club move clear of the relegation zone. She ultimately scored 17 goals for the season as the team improved to end the campaign in seventh. Following the conclusion of the season, she was afforded the opportunity to sign for French side

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

but elected to remain with Real Sociedad and continue her medical studies in Spain. On 17 February 2019, García assisted teammate

Kiana Palacios Kiana Angélica Palacios Hernández (born 1 October 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil side Club América. Born and raised in the United States to Mexican parents, she caps for the Mexico women's nat ...

in Real Sociedad's 3–1 win over

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

and in doing so helped the club qualify for the final of the Copa de la Reina for the first time in its history. The final took place on 11 May where García scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

to guide the club to its first-ever Cup win.

Real Madrid

On 1 July 2021, García signed for

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

Athletic Bilbao

After scoring 11 goals in two seasons for Real Madrid, García joined

on a free transfer through 2025.

International career

García has worn the number 7 jersey for both club and country during the course of her career. She credits former

and Spain men's captain Raúl for her decision to wear the number, citing his style of play and on-field mentality as motivation in her own game.

Spain national youth teams

García's first exposure to the Spanish youth teams came when she was just fifteen-years old when she was called up to replace a player who was unable to travel with the U17 team. In 2013 García, while representing Spain's U17 side, was awarded the Golden Boot award at the

2013 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship The 2013 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship was the sixth edition of the UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship. The first matches were played on 3 September 2012. With the return of Slovakia, who haven't played since the inaugural edition, and U-17 n ...

, ending the tournament as the top goal scorer and only player to have scored more than once. Spain were ultimately eliminated by

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in the semi-finals but ended the tournament in third after beating Belgium in the

third place playoff Many sports playoffs and knockout tournaments include a third place playoff, third place match, bronze medal game, or consolation game to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. This game is typically c ...

. She was again part of the squad for the 2014 edition of the tournament where Spain went one step further, this time ending as runners-up to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It was the second time in the same year that Spain had ended a major competition as runners-up, having lost to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in the final of the

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is an annual (biennial until 2024) international women's association football tournament for female players under the age of 17. It is organized by ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA) ...

in April. In July 2016 García, who was Real Sociedad's only representative in the squad, captained

to a silver medal at the

UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship or simply UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, is an annual competition in women's football for European national teams of players under 19 years of age. National under-19 teams whose countries belon ...

, losing 2–1 in the final to hosts

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. She had two opportunities to draw Spain level but found herself the victim of a waterlogged pitch, missing a penalty in the opening half before 'skying' a near-open goal opportunity in injury-time as a result of the on-field conditions. The match was suspended for over two hours after half-time due to the weather conditions and upon the players' return to the pitch certain sections of the field were entirely waterlogged. García was ridiculed by large sections of the media for the miss but received overwhelming support from her fan-base, prompting her to take to

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

following the tournament to thank those who stood behind her and the team. The showpiece match was her third appearance in a continental final, having previously ended as runner-up in the tournament's previous edition and as well as in the

UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, is an annual European championship football tournament, organized by UEFA, for national teams of women under age seventeen. The tournament was first play ...

in 2014. The record is one which she shares with teammates Andrea Sánchez Falcón and Naria Garrote. Later that year, García was selected as one of the captains for the

2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup The 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was the 8th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the biennial international Women's association football, women's youth association football, football championship contested by the under-20 national te ...

to be held in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. She made her debut on 13 November in Spain's opening match of the tournament, a 5–0 victory over

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. García scored her first and only goal for the tournament on 24 November in a 3–2 loss to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

that saw Spain eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Spain senior national team

In August 2018, García was called up to the senior Spain squad for the first time by manager

Jorge Vilda Jorge Vilda Rodríguez (born 7 July 1981) is a Spanish football coach and UEFA Pro Licence holder, who is currently the head coach of the Morocco women's national team, since 12 October 2023. Previously, he was the head coach of the Spain wome ...

. She made her debut on 31 August and scored within eight minutes of coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–1 win over

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. In 2019, García was called up for the 2019 World Cup.

Sponsorships

García is currently sponsored by Spanish

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...

manufacturer

Joma Joma Sport, S.A. is a Spanish sports clothing and shoes brand. History Joma was founded in 1965 by Fructuoso López to produce shoes for general use. The brand name comes from the given name of Fructuoso's first born son (José Manuel). In 196 ...

Personal life

García's first name, Nahikari, derives from her

origin and represents the values of nobility, loyalty and intelligence. Aside from football, she also studied towards a degree in medicine, completing her first course in 2016. In an interview with AS in the same year she explained that while it was ''"a little crazy"'' to combine her degree with football, she felt that football helped her with her studies and vice versa.

Superstition

García is fastidious when it comes to pre-match rituals. She plays with the same tape, wears two pairs of socks and always enters the field of play with her right foot first.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each García goal.''

Honours

Real Sociedad *

: 2018–19 Spain U17 *

runner-up:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

runner-up:

Spain U19 *

runner-up:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Individual *

: Golden Boot 2013

References

External links

* *
Nahikari Garcia
at

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Nahikari 1997 births Living people Spanish women's footballers Liga F players People from Donostialdea Women's association football forwards Real Sociedad Femenino players 21st-century Spanish sportswomen Athletic Club (women) players Real Madrid Femenino players Añorga KKE players Spain women's international footballers Footballers from Gipuzkoa 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players Spain women's youth international footballers