It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. And that’s certainly proven the case for RCD Espanyol this season.
By Zach Lowy
Espanyol looked set for an imminent return to the Spanish second tier after losing nine of their first 13 matches of the 2024/25 LaLiga season and occupying the relegation zone between Matchday 16 and Matchday 21. Since then, however, the Pericos have won five matches, drawn four, and lost twice. They’ve only conceded eight goals in that time span – the lowest tally alongside Barcelona and Athletic Club – and they sit seven points clear of the drop with a game in hand. And whilst there have been plenty of individual contributions, no player has had a bigger role in Espanyol’s turnaround than goalkeeper Joan García.
Born in Sallent, Spain, García played for local Catalan sides Manresa and Damm before joining Espanyol in 2016, where he ascended the ranks before eventually making his first-team debut on December 1, 2021. He made four appearances across all competitions in his first two seasons, whilst he would have to wait until March 2 to play his first match of the 2023/24 campaign after getting the nod ahead of Fernando Pacheco, nine years his senior. García quickly eliminated any lingering doubts with a Man of the Match display in a 0-0 draw vs. Huesca, and he hasn’t relinquished his starting spot ever since.
Espanyol finished fourth in the table thanks to a penurious backline that conceded just seven goals in their final 14 league matches with García in goal, in addition to one goal in their four promotion playoff matches vs. Sporting Gijón and Real Oviedo. García proved essential in Espanyol’s successful promotion chase, exhibiting poise under pressure, cat-like reflexes, and a willingness to come off his line and claim crosses, prompting him to be voted as the club’s Player of the Month for March 2024, April 2024 and May 2024, as well as their Male Player of the Season.
After serving as a backup in the Summer Olympics to PSG’s Arnau Tenas and winning a gold medal in France, García returned to Spain and continued his meteoric progression in between the sticks. At nearly 24 years of age, García has staked his claim as one of the finest goalkeepers on the continent, leading LaLiga with 8.3 Goals Prevented – nearly twice as much as second-placed David Soria (4.3) – as well as a league-high 3.8 saves per 90. What’s more, only Unai Simón (78.4%) and Thibaut Courtois (75%) have a higher save percentage than him (74.8%).
Standing at 6’3” (1.93m), García has the height and wingspan to impose himself in one-on-one situations, but this doesn’t stop him from zooming off his line to deal with a dangerous counter-attack, challenging the opposing attacker and forcing him to make a decision much earlier than he’d have liked. Whenever Espanyol are leaking opportunities and allowing the opponent to mount pressure (they’ve conceded the fourth-highest xG in LaLiga), García never lets his guard down, putting his quick reactions and acrobatic diving ability to good use and helping his team ride the storm out with his nerves of steel and superb anticipation. He has an adhesiveness to his shot-stopping where, even if he does have to lay out and prevent a shot from reaching the back of the net, he won’t allow the ball to slip out of his grasp and trickle towards an opponent.
“García is a tall, albeit agile goalkeeper who’s assertive in the air and reliable in one-on-one situations, but above all, I’d highlight his great reflexes,” stated Emilio Blanco, a Spanish journalist who covers Espanyol for AS and La Grada. “Although he’s still young and inexperienced, it’s clear that he has everything it takes to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. In terms of performances, he has been the best goalkeeper in LaLiga this season, and he’s the main reason why Espanyol haven’t suffered relegation. There are forwards who guarantee you 20 goals, but Espanyol have a goalkeeper who prevents them from conceding 20-30 goals.”
He isn’t just a reliable pair of gloves who finds himself in the right place at the right time more often than not – he’s someone who has the timing, precision, and composure to deliver world-class saves, the likes of which are typically only seen by legendary shot-stoppers like Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Oblak and Alisson. We saw this in February when, after leaving a trail of Espanyol players in his dust, Real Sociedad’s Luka Sučić looked set to convert from point-blank range, only to be denied by the outstretched leg of García. The following month, he got a strong palm to Cristhian Stuani’s volley, keeping out a ferocious shot that was traveling at supersonic speed. In doing so, García became the first-ever player to win the LaLiga Save of the Month on consecutive occasions.
In his first-ever season of playing regular minutes at the senior level, García is the highest-rated goalkeeper in FotMob’s LaLiga database (26th overall), whilst only Kylian Mbappé has received as many FotMob Player of the Match awards (8). One of those came in a 0-0 draw at Atlético Madrid, one in a 1-0 win vs. Real Madrid, one in a 1-0 win vs. Alavés, and one in a 2-1 win against Mallorca on March 15, before following that up with a 1-1 draw vs. Atlético Madrid. Since then, he’s been named the Man of the Match in each of his last four matches vs. Rayo Vallecano, Celta de Vigo, Getafe and Valencia, where he has made a total of 21 saves and conceded just one goal in the process. After his heroics against Getafe, Espanyol manager Manolo González declared: “We have a goalkeeper who makes the difference. It’s like when Barcelona had Lionel Messi. He’s going to be a worldwide reference point.”
García’s in-game intelligence enables him to prognosticate potential danger and get himself into the perfect position to prevent an attacker from taking an extra touch and cut off his shooting angle. He’s a modern sweeper keeper who is proactive rather than reactive, and who is always backing himself to come out on top, whether that’s challenging for an aerial duel or making himself big in a 1v1 situation, cutting off his opponent’s shooting angle, or confidently commanding his box and swatting away a ball. But whilst he’s made the highlight reels this season due to his extraordinary reflexes, he’s also more than capable of dribbling out of pressure and instigating a counter-attack with a pinpoint long ball or a measured chipped pass into the wide areas.
With his contract set to expire in 2028, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before García leaves Estadi Cornellà-El Prat for greener pastures – the only two questions are, when, and where? Arsenal were linked with a move last summer and remain keen to find a genuine competitor for David Raya (29), whilst Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Atlético Madrid also find themselves looking for a younger option to challenge their starting goalkeepers, all of whom are on the wrong side of 30.
Whatever happens, Espanyol will be hoping to delay negotiations until after Spain’s UEFA Nations League Finals, which will take place in Germany from June 4 to June 8. García’s release clause will increase from €30 million to €35 million if he is called to the Spanish national team, and if he continues performing at this rate, Luís de la Fuente may have no other choice but to hand him his international debut this summer. Whilst he faces ample competition from Unai Simón, Raya, and Álex Remiro, Joan García has everything it takes to not only crack the Spain squad, but lock down a starting spot with La Roja before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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