Richard Garcia

Richard García (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a winger for A-League club Perth Glory which he captains and internationally for Australia. He has previously played for West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Hull City, Melbourne Heart, Sydney FC and Minnesota United FC.

Club career

West Ham United

Born in Perth, Garcia was a product of the West Ham United youth academy, moving from Australia to England to join the Hammers at the age of 15 after being spotted by a scout who had initially gone to watch his brother. He signed a professional contract with West Ham in September 1998. He was a key member of the team that won the FA Youth Cup and FA Premier Youth League double in 1998–99, scoring in every round of West Ham's run to the Youth Cup Final, eight in total. He went out on loan to local side Leyton Orient in August 2000, making 21 appearances in League and Cup competitions and scoring four goals. Injury to his knee ligaments ended his season and he returned to West Ham in November 2000. He made his first team debut for West Ham in a League Cup match away at Reading in September 2001, but failed to gain a regular place in the team. After West Ham were relegated to the First Division in 2003, Garcia featured a few more times for the first-team, but made only 16 league appearances for the club before moving on to Colchester United in 2004.