A player of massive potential, he is the classic Barça defender. He likes to play the ball out of with his feet, is extremely smart at reading his opponents’ moves and reads the game with instinctive precision. Eric Garcia returned to Barça in the summer of 2021 from Manchester City. He originally joined the Barça Escola in 2008 and resided at La Masia until 2017. 

Born 9 January 2001 in Martorell he grew up through the youth ranks at the club, from U10B to the U19 squad. 

But he then departed for the youth team at Manchester City, and a year later started appearing for the first team, his official debut coming just before his 18^th birthday on 18 December 2018 against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup. 

Viewed as one of the finest young defenders in the world, he also played for Spain at U16, U17 and U21 level, and when Luis Enrique picked him for the senior team, he became the first Barça Escola graduate to ever do so. 

In his return season in Barcelona, Eric becomes an important defender in the Catalan squad. His determination as a defender and his personality to play the ball from the back make him a footballer highly valued by both Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernández.

In his second season with the first team Garcia continued to be a vital member of the squad, playing at centre back and also in central midfield when needed. In September 2022 he scored his first goal for the first team in a 3-0 win away at Sevilla. In the 2023/24 the defender went out on loan to Girona in search of regular playing time and his contribution helped the Catalan club qualify for the Champions League after a third placed finish in La Liga. 

Garcia returned from loan in 24/25 and his versatility saw him play an important role in Hansi Flick's squad, playing in midfield, centre back and at right back. He scored in the vital 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the league at Montjuïc and reached 100 games as a blaugrana in March 2025. 

The centre back is also a part of the Spanish national squad, playing at Euro2020, the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.