Alexis García

Who is Alexis García?

Alexis Enrique García Vega is a former Colombian football player, a creative midfielder. Along with seven more siblings, he grew up in barrio la Floresta of Medellín where he started his career playing for Seleccion Antionquia. In 1980 he joined Once Caldas of Manizales, that same year he was picked to play for the youth Colombia national football team for the Moscow Olympic Games. In 1986 he joined Atlético Nacional of Medellín where he remained until his retirement in 1998. Known as "The Great Captain" Alexis Garcia was one Colombia's best midfielders and a crowd's favorite in a time when the Colombian football was starting to shine at the international level. This was the time of Faustino Asprilla, Andrés Escobar, Leonel Álvarez, René Higuita, Víctor Aristizábal, Luis Fernando Herrera, among others. In 1989 Garcia led Atlético Nacional to become Copa Libertadores Champions, a cup no other Colombian team had ever won at the time. In 1988 Garcia debuted with the Senior Colombia national football team against Canada, a game that the Colombians won 3-0. Because of misunderstandings with national team coach Francisco Maturana Alexis Garcia missed the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. His last game for the Colombian national team was on August 1993 against Paraguay. Garcia played a total of 24 games for Colombia, in the which he scored 2 goals. Garcia's greatest frustration was not being chosen to play for Colombia in any world cup, even when most of the country wanted him to play alongside Carlos Valderrama.