1. Overview
Óscar García Junyent, often known simply as Óscar during his playing days, is a Spanish former professional footballer and a current football manager. His career spans over a decade as a versatile attacking player, primarily known for his time at FC Barcelona, and an extensive managerial journey across various clubs in Europe and Mexico. As a player, he was a key figure in Barcelona's title-winning squads of the 1990s and represented Spain at the youth international level, including the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Transitioning to management, García has achieved significant success, notably securing back-to-back league and cup doubles with FC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, and a league title with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in Israel. His coaching path has taken him through English, French, Greek, Spanish, and Belgian football, culminating in his current role with Liga MX club C.D. Guadalajara.
2. Early Life and Playing Career
Óscar García Junyent's formative years in football began in his native Sabadell, Barcelona, Catalonia, where he joined the Barcelona youth academy in 1984 after starting his development at Mercantil from 1980 to 1984. His professional journey as a footballer saw him primarily as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, a versatile asset on the field.
2.1. Club Career
García made his professional debut for Barcelona B, playing 79 matches and scoring 24 goals between 1991 and 1994. He was promoted to the FC Barcelona first team in 1993, making his debut on 17 February 1993, in a Copa del Rey quarter-final match against Atlético Madrid. Entering as a substitute for an injured Richard Witschge in the 39th minute, he scored his first goal in the 6-0 victory. Between 1992 and 1994, he featured in five La Liga matches as Barcelona claimed the championship each year.
After a loan spell with fellow top-division club Albacete Balompié during the 1994-95 season, where he played 29 matches and scored 2 goals, García returned to Barcelona. The 1995-96 La Liga season marked a personal best for him, as he scored ten league goals in 28 appearances (11 starts), making him the squad's top scorer under manager Johan Cruyff, despite the team not winning any silverware. However, his role gradually diminished under subsequent managers Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal due to limited opportunities.
In the summer of 1999, Óscar left Barcelona to join Valencia CF. Despite his move, he often found himself out of the starting lineup, appearing in 20 La Liga matches and scoring 4 goals during his single season there. His time at Valencia also saw him reach the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League final, where his team was the runner-up. He later moved to Barcelona neighbors RCD Espanyol in 2000, where he reunited with his brother Roger García for three seasons. While at Espanyol, on 7 January 2001, he was taken to the hospital after swallowing his tongue during a match against CD Numancia. In the summer of 2002, he nearly signed with West Ham United F.C. after a one-week trial, but the deal ultimately fell through, and he returned to Espanyol. Over four years with the club, he never scored more than one goal per season in the league, accumulating 51 appearances and 4 goals.
García concluded his playing career with UE Lleida in the Segunda División, where he played 23 matches and scored 3 goals during the 2004-05 season before retiring in June 2005 at the age of 32. Throughout his professional club career, including his time in lower divisions and with Barcelona B, he played a total of 271 matches and scored 58 goals. His La Liga career alone spanned 12 seasons, with 169 matches and 31 goals.
2.2. International Career
Óscar García represented Spain at various youth levels. He played for the Spain U-16 team in 1989, the U-18 and U-19 teams in 1991, and the U-20 team in 1991, including participation in the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was a prominent member of the Spain U-21 squad from 1992 to 1996, earning 24 caps and scoring 12 goals. During this period, he helped the team achieve third place in the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and finish as runner-up in the 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
His international career also included an appearance for the Spanish Olympic team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He scored twice during the tournament, contributing to Spain's run to the quarter-finals. Despite his extensive youth international experience, he never earned a cap for the senior national team.
3. Coaching Career
Óscar García Junyent embarked on his managerial career in 2009, taking on various coaching roles across different countries, from assistant positions to leading clubs to domestic success.
3.1. Early Stints (Maccabi Tel Aviv, England)
In late 2009, García joined the coaching staff of the Catalonia national football team, serving as an assistant to his former mentor at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff, shortly after Cruyff's appointment. This marked his entry into the coaching world.
On 22 May 2012, García received his first head coach appointment, signing a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in Israel, where Cruyff's son Jordi Cruyff served as sporting director. Exactly one year later, he successfully led the club to win the Israeli Premier League for the 2012-13 season, ending a ten-year title drought for Maccabi Tel Aviv. However, he resigned from his position on 22 May 2013, citing personal reasons.
García's next venture took him to English football. On 26 June 2013, he was unveiled as the new head coach of Football League Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., succeeding Gus Poyet. His first victory came on 17 August with a 1-0 away win against Birmingham City F.C.. His performance earned him the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for November 2013, following a run of three wins and one draw. On 12 May 2014, after Brighton's defeat in the play-off semi-finals to Derby County F.C., his offer of resignation was accepted by the club's board.
García returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv on 2 June 2014, signing another two-year contract. However, his second tenure was brief; he departed the club on 26 August due to the ongoing 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict. Just a week later, he was appointed head coach of Watford F.C. in England, replacing Giuseppe Sannino. His time at Watford was also short-lived, as he was admitted to the hospital with minor chest pains on 15 September, forcing him to miss a match against Blackpool F.C.. These health issues ultimately led to his stepping down from the role two weeks later, on 29 September 2014.
3.2. Success in Austria (Red Bull Salzburg)
On 28 December 2015, Austrian double holders FC Red Bull Salzburg hired García as their new manager, following the dismissal of Peter Zeidler. Despite taking over mid-season, his impact was immediate. His team, spearheaded by fellow Spaniard Jonathan Soriano as the main striker, successfully ended the 2015-16 Austrian Football Bundesliga season as national champions. On 19 May, Soriano scored a hat-trick in a dominant 5-0 victory over FC Admira Wacker Mödling in the 2015-16 Austrian Cup final, sealing a domestic double for the club.
García continued his impressive run in the 2016-17 FC Red Bull Salzburg season, where Salzburg retained both the Austrian Football Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup titles, achieving consecutive doubles. After Soriano's departure, García restructured the attack around South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan, further demonstrating his adaptability and tactical acumen in maintaining the team's high performance levels. His successful tenure at Salzburg cemented his reputation as a manager capable of building and maintaining winning teams.
3.3. Subsequent Coaching Roles (France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Mexico)
Following his success in Austria, Óscar García moved to France. On 15 June 2017, AS Saint-Étienne signed him to a two-year contract. However, his tenure was brief. In November, after a crushing 5-0 home loss against Olympique Lyonnais in the intense Derby du Rhone, he departed the club by mutual agreement on 15 November 2017, due to the poor results.
On 5 January 2018, Olympiacos F.C. of Greece announced García as their new manager, replacing Takis Lemonis. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 3 April 2018, following a 1-1 away draw with Levadiakos F.C.. His departure was attributed to the team's overall poor performance, including their third consecutive elimination from the Greek Football Cup, and a perceived lack of discipline within the dressing room, training sessions, and matches.
García had his first head coach experience in his home country, Spain, when he took over Celta de Vigo in November 2019, replacing Fran Escribá. At the time, Celta was third from the bottom in the league standings. His team managed to avoid relegation on the final day of the 2019-20 La Liga season, as CD Leganés failed to win their fixture. However, on 9 November 2020, after achieving only one win in nine matches of the 2020-21 La Liga campaign, García was dismissed from his role.
In June 2021, García returned to the French Ligue 1, being appointed manager of Stade de Reims on a three-year deal. His first match was a goalless draw at OGC Nice on 8 August. He secured his first win on his fifth attempt with a 2-0 victory at Stade Rennais F.C.. His single full season at the Stade Auguste-Delaune saw Reims finish in 12th place in the 2021-22 Ligue 1. On 13 October 2022, with his team in 15th position in the league table, García was relieved of his duties and replaced by his assistant, Will Still.
On 3 November 2023, García was hired by OH Leuven, taking charge of the Belgian Pro League club which was in the relegation zone after 12 games. He successfully managed to guide the team to avoid relegation in the 2023-24 Belgian Pro League season, notably securing their safety with a 1-0 win against K.V. Mechelen in injury time on 18 March 2024. However, a year after his arrival, with the team once again in the bottom part of the table, García was dismissed along with his staff on 22 November 2024.
On 2 December 2024, C.D. Guadalajara of the Liga MX announced García as their new head coach, effective from January 2025, marking his first managerial role outside of Europe.
4. Personal Life
Óscar García Junyent comes from a footballing family. His two brothers, Roger García and Genís García Junyent, were also professional footballers. All three siblings were products of the famous Barcelona youth academy, though their professional careers took different paths, especially for Genís.
A notable instance of their shared footballing journey occurred on 17 June 1997, when all three brothers appeared with the FC Barcelona first team in the final of the Copa Catalunya, which Barcelona lost 3-1 to CE Europa. This moment highlighted their unique family connection to the club and the sport.
5. Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | ISR | 22 May 2012 | 22 May 2013 | 28|7|8|65.12 | ||||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | ENG | 26 June 2013 | 12 May 2014 | 21|16|16|39.62 | ||||||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | ISR | 2 June 2014 | 26 August 2014 | 3|2|2|42.86 | ||||||
| Watford | ENG | 2 September 2014 | 29 September 2014 | 1|2|1|25.00 | ||||||
| Red Bull Salzburg | AUT | 28 December 2015 | 15 June 2017 | 51|12|10|69.86 | ||||||
| Saint-Étienne | FRA | 15 June 2017 | 15 November 2017 | 5|4|4|38.46 | ||||||
| Olympiacos | GRE | 6 January 2018 | 3 April 2018 | 6|5|2|46.15 | ||||||
| Celta | ESP | 9 November 2019 | 9 November 2020 | 8|17|13|21.05 | ||||||
| Reims | FRA | 23 June 2021 | 13 October 2022 | 14|19|18|27.45 | ||||||
| OH Leuven | BEL | 3 November 2023 | 22 November 2024 | 12|16|16|27.27 | ||||||
| Guadalajara | MEX | 2 December 2024 | present | 4|3|4|36.36 | ||||||
| Total | 153|104|94|43.59 | |||||||||
6. Honours
Óscar García Junyent accumulated several titles and individual awards throughout both his professional playing and managerial careers.
6.1. As a Player
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1992-93, 1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99
- Copa del Rey: 1996-97, 1997-98
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1996-97
- UEFA Super Cup: 1997
Valencia
- Supercopa de España: 1999
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999-2000
Spain U-21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1996
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship third place: 1994
6.2. As a Manager
Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Israeli Premier League: 2012-13
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2015-16, 2016-17
- Austrian Cup: 2015-16, 2016-17
Individual
- EFL Championship Manager of the Month: November 2013