About Javi García
Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [fɾanˈθisko xaˈβjeɾ ˈxaβi ɣaɾˈθi.a feɾˈnandeθ]; born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. A defensive midfielder by nature, he could also play as a central defender. He started his career with Real Madrid, but represented mostly the reserve team, going on to have a three-year spell with Benfica in Portugal. In 2012 he signed with Manchester City, then spent a further three seasons in the Russian Premier League with Zenit Saint Petersburg. He returned to Spain with Betis in 2017, and retired at Boavista. García represented Spain at various youth levels, including the victorious under-19s at the 2006 European Championship, and made his senior international debut in 2012. The summer of 2006 was a very busy one for García: first, he won the UEFA European Championship with the under-19s, impressing first-team head coach Fabio Capello who called him to training sessions. In August 2007, García was supposed to be definitively promoted to the first team, but head coach Bernd Schuster deemed him surplus to requirements alongside fellow cantera players Rubén de la Red and Esteban Granero. García played 24 matches in the 2014–15 season, scoring three times as the side won the fifth national championship in their history (fourth under the tournament's new denomination).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.