Jose Garcia was once a bare-chested child screaming on his team from the stands of El Sadar. Now the 16-year-old playmaker is the darling of the Osasuna fans he once stood among. Adam Bate was in Pamplona to witness the debut of yet another promising La Liga talent...
Thursday 14 November 2013 08:28, UK
Adam Bate on the tale of 16-year-old Jose Garcia and his journey from terrace icon to Osasuna star.
The Friday evening game at El Sadar was a vital one for hosts Osasuna and visitors Almeria. Both teams were already in a battle against relegation and everyone was aware how damaging a defeat to a fellow struggler could be. But despite the pressure of the situation, and with their team 1-0 down, there was only one man the home fans wanted to see. "Jose Garcia!" they chanted. "Jose Garcia! Jose Garcia!" Again and again. "Feel the colours to fulfil your dream. Congratulations, Jose!" read the banner behind the goal. It was an extraordinary scene given that Garcia is just 16-years-old and had only trained with the first-team squad for the first time that Tuesday. But Osasuna supporters know all about the youngster christened 'the baby-hooligan' by El Mundo. Once a member of the youth faction of the radical fan group Indar Gorri, there is a now-famous video of an animated Garcia, aged seven, stood shirtless and urging his team on from the stands against Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao. For the young fans chewing their sunflower seeds at El Sadar, annoying those around them as they playfully throw the remnants at each other, there is an awareness that Garcia is different. This is someone who stood among them until recently, only recently distancing himself from Indar Gorri once it became clear it would be prudent to do so given his imminent rise to prominence. He is one of them. And so the brief journey to Osasuna first-teamer was complete midway through the second half on Friday. At a an age when such a diminutive figure might find himself cast aside in England, Garcia instead became the youngest player to make his bow for Osasuna in the top flight. By way of comparison, the team's next change was to bring on Patxi Punal, a 38-year-old midfielder who made his debut for the club in the year Garcia was born. It is to the credit of coach Javi Gracia - who had described Garcia as "bold and technically good" in the build-up to the game - that he should turn to the debutant first. And it certainly raised the crowd, as he raced onto the field to a rapturous reception that verged on hysteria. It's an awful lot of hope and expectation to be invested in a player whose knees were barely visible between his socks and the unusually baggy shorts.