Luis Garcia Admits Major Regret From His Anfield Career, But Describes It As An Honour To Wear The Liverpool Shirt

Luis Garcia was a fan favourite during his three-year spell at Liverpool, playing a major role in helping Rafa Benitez’s team to reach the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. He scored in all three of the knockout rounds leading up to the final, including his famous ‘ghost’ goal against Chelsea in the semi-final at Anfield. He also scored a brilliant long-range strike against the same team in the FA Cup semi-final the following season.

However, Garcia has admitted that his absence from the FA Cup final through suspension is a major regret. He was sent off against West Ham in the league in the weeks before the final in Cardiff following a scuffle with Hayden Mullins.

Garcia’s Anfield Career

Garcia featured 121 times and scored 30 goals across his three seasons at Liverpool. He was a key part of the team that won the Champions League and later the FA Cup. Speaking about his time at Anfield, Garcia said: “Pride and honour are two words I often use to describe my time at Liverpool FC. I was talking about it with some friends the other day, about listening to You’ll Never Walk Alone as the players enter the pitch, hearing the crowd sing, shout and roar the team on. It is something every Liverpool fan should experience at least once in their life – to do that as a player was a privilege.”

The Spaniard is still remembered fondly by Liverpool fans, with his famous song on the Kop including the lyrics “he drinks sangria” – largely because it rhymes with his name. Garcia joked: “Oh, and I do drink sangria, in case you were wondering.”

Learning From Mistakes

Garcia went on to have spells at Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander after leaving the Reds in 2007 and is still remembered fondly by Liverpool fans. He said: “We won the Champions League and later the FA Cup – unfortunately I missed the final, which is something that I still regret. That was a difficult experience for me but if you’re intelligent you learn from your mistakes, and I made a pretty big one getting sent off in the build-up to that game. I scored in the semi-final, though, and it was against Chelsea again. So that is a memory I can look back on proudly. When I do talks now and clinics with young kids I always refer to that experience. You can never lose your cool. It was very out of character for me.”

Garcia retired from football in 2016 after a brief stint in Australia with Central Coast Mariners, describing his time at Liverpool as an “honour” and a “privilege.”

Conclusion

Luis Garcia was an integral part of Rafa Benitez’s team during his three-year spell at Liverpool, helping them to reach the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul and scoring in all three of the knockout rounds leading up to the final. He also scored a brilliant long-range strike against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final the following season. Unfortunately, he missed out on playing in the FA Cup final due to suspension, which he admits is a major regret. However, he still looks back fondly on his time at Anfield, describing it as an honour and a privilege to wear the Liverpool shirt.