Over the past year Eric García has developed into one of FC Barcelona’s most dependable players. The 25‑year‑old versatile defender — a one‑positioner earlier in his career — had been close to leaving the club to find regular minutes, but manager Hansi Flick persuaded him to stay. Since then García has established himself, delivering solid performances whether deployed as a centre‑back, right‑back or in defensive midfield.
According to Mundo Deportivo, his consistent displays have made him a serious contender to be named in Spain’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. García has now featured in 55 consecutive matches for Barcelona, with his last absence dating back to March 2025 when he missed the Champions League fixture against SL Benfica.
This season he has logged more than 2,700 minutes out of a possible 3,240 and has not missed any of Barcelona’s 36 fixtures, marking him as one of the team’s most regularly used and leading figures. Even a broken nose sustained against Club Brugge did not force him out of the side, and his fine form has reopened the debate about a recall to the Spanish national team.
Statistically García is among the defenders with the highest passing accuracy, sitting between 89% and 91% across LaLiga and other club competitions this season. In the 2025/26 Champions League he has registered a 90.5% pass accuracy, completing 468 of 506 attempted passes in European matches. His presence on the pitch also correlates with fewer goals conceded by the team — an average of 0.83 goals allowed per game when he plays — underscoring his physical reliability and availability.
García has not been involved with the senior national side for some time. After representing Spain at youth levels, he made his senior debut on 6 September 2020, replacing Sergio Ramos in the second half of a 4‑0 Nations League win over Ukraine. He was included in the squads for Euro 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In 2022 he made the World Cup roster for Qatar but did not play a single minute in that tournament.
He was part of the Spain U‑23 team that won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024, but he has not featured for the senior national team since September 2022. His current club form, however, has prompted renewed discussion about whether he should be part of Spain’s contingent for the 2026 World Cup.
