He played professionally for Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in his homeland, amongst others – being brought up in the former's youth ranks – appearing abroad for Liverpool, with whom he won the 2005 Champions League and the 2006 FA Cup.

[5] He finished the campaign at Segunda División's Toledo also on loan, his four goals not being enough to prevent relegation for the Castilla–La Mancha side;[6] on 18 August 1998, he had made his first competitive appearance for the Blaugrana, coming on as 78th-minute substitute for Boudewijn Zenden in a 2–1 defeat at Mallorca in the Supercopa de España.

[7] Subsequently, García played another year in the second tier, being instrumental in Tenerife's promotion by scoring 16 league goals under the guidance of manager Rafael Benítez.

He was the fourth Spaniard the club acquired that summer[12] and, nine days after arriving, made his Premier League debut in a 1–0 away loss to Bolton Wanderers, where he had an apparently legitimate goal ruled out for offside.

[13] His first goal with his new club concluded a 3–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on 11 September,[14] and he went on to net seven more times in the league that season, including the headed winner in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 20 March 2005.

[23] In early July 2007, García joined his former team Atlético Madrid for around £4 million, with his transfer being negotiated between the two clubs around the same time that they were arranging a deal for Fernando Torres in the opposite direction.

[25] He played both matches against his former side Liverpool in the following campaign's Champions League group stage; on 4 November 2008, he came on as a late substitute at Anfield to appreciative applause.

[35] In early June 2012, García signed for another side in the Liga MX, UNAM, joining alongside Martín Romagnoli for an undisclosed fee.

He made the announcement on his official website, saying, "Today I've decided to retire as a professional footballer, thanks for the interest from the teams that spoke with me in recent weeks, but I think the time has come to end this important chapter in my life and move to the next page.

[45] He made his A-League debut one week later, coming off the bench and playing a role in his team's goal in a 2–1 home defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers.

[47] After a productive first season with Liverpool, García made his debut for the Spain national team on 26 March 2005, appearing in a 3–0 friendly defeat of China in Salamanca.