Sandra García

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Giraldez.
Sandra García
Personal information
Full name Sandra García Giraldez
Date of birth (1986-02-11) 11 February 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth San Juan del Puerto, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2006 Estudiantes Huelva
2006–2007 Sevilla FC
2007–2016 Sporting de Huelva
2017 Sporting Plaza de Argel
2017–2018 Sporting de Huelva 11 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sandra García Giraldez (born 11 February 1986) is a retired Spanish football defender, who played her career mainly at Sporting Huelva in Spain's Primera División. She previously played for Estudiantes Huelva, Sevilla FC and Sporting Plaza de Argel.[1]

Personal life

Born in San Juan del Puerto, García practised athletics as well as football. She participated in high jump, shot put and the 4x80 relay. She has several tattoos, including the names of her parents, uncles, cousins and an image of the Copa de la Reina de Fútbol trophy.[2]

Career

In her hometown, prior to joining Estudiantes Huelva, she was the only female footballer on the team.[2] Throughout her career, she was the tallest player in the Primera División and so earned the nickname 'Larga'.[3] García played over 200 games for Sporting de Huelva in her career and won the 2015 Copa de la Reina de Fútbol with the club.[4][5] In November 2016, her departure from Sporting de Huelva was announced; the club stated that her contract would come to an end in June 2017 but was terminated early. The departure was for personal reasons.[3] After fifteen years of playing in the top tier, she signed a contract with Sporting Plaza de Argel in Alicante, who were playing in the second tier, the Segunda División.[6] Next season, however, she rejoined Sporting de Huelva.[7] The following season García retired from football due to injuries. She had required an operation on her Achilles tendon during that same season.[8] Sporting de Huelva paid tribute to her on 21 December 2019; she received an ovation from the fans, coaching staff and teammates and was handed a commemorative number 4 replica shirt by the club in a ceremony prior to a football match.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Sandra García Giraldez" (in Spanish). Txapeldunak. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Menayo, David (8 December 2015). "Sandra García, la torre de la Liga". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Sandra García dice adiós". Huelva Información (in Spanish). 9 November 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Sandra". BDFutbol. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  5. ^ "El Sporting de Huelva se queda sin su torre". Marca (in Spanish). 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. ^ "El SPA Alicante femenino ficha a la defensa onubense Sandra García". Estadio Digital (in Spanish). 12 November 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  7. ^ León, Luján (16 June 2017). "Sandra García regresa a un Cajasol que renueva a Anita". Huelva Información (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Jugadoras Sporting Anita Hernández y Sandra García son operadas con éxito". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 22 June 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  9. ^ "El Sporting homenajea a Sandra García tras anunciar su retirada". Diario AS (in Spanish). 21 December 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2021.