Kike García · Biography

The first title of Enrique García Martínez, known as Kike García, came in July 2009: a gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara with Spain's under-20 side, who beat Italy in the final in stoppage time. Born on 25 November 1989 in Motilla del Palancar, in the province of Cuenca, he is a 1.86-metre centre-forward whose career took him to Real Murcia, Middlesbrough, SD Eibar, CA Osasuna, Deportivo Alavés and RCD Espanyol.

Youth football and debut at Murcia

He started out in the youth ranks of Motilla CF, moved on to the national youth team of Quintanar del Rey and finished his development at Real Murcia. He made his Spanish second division debut on 23 May 2009, coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw away to Celta de Vigo. Three weeks later, on 13 June, he scored his first senior goal in a 2-1 win over UD Salamanca. That summer he went to the Mediterranean Games with the under-20s and was named in the squad for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt; he finished with seven caps and three goals at that level.

Promotion and a 23-goal season

Murcia dropped to the third tier, Segunda B, in 2009-10, but kept the striker. In 2010-11 he became a regular starter and the side were crowned Segunda B champions, winning back their place in the second division. The following season was almost a write-off after a serious injury suffered against Elche. His standout year was 2013-14: 23 league goals, the second division Player of the Month award for May 2014 and a place in the Team of the Season. He left Murcia with 49 goals in 156 appearances.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough signed him on 11 July 2014 for €3.5 million (£2.7 million). He made his Championship debut on the opening day, 9 August 2014, and scored the second goal in a 2-0 home win over Birmingham City. That team reached the 2015 play-off final, which they lost to Norwich City. In England he made 75 appearances and scored 16 goals before returning to Spain midway through the 2015-16 season.

Five seasons at Eibar

He joined SD Eibar on 2 February 2016, but his paperwork arrived late and LaLiga could not register him until the summer. His top-flight debut came on 19 August 2016, starting in a 2-1 defeat away to Deportivo de La Coruña. At Ipurúa he became one of the side's main attacking outlets. On 1 May 2021 he scored his first La Liga hat-trick, all three goals in a 3-0 win over Alavés; he ended that campaign with 12 goals, yet Eibar were relegated. He left with 37 goals in 160 games.

Osasuna and a Copa del Rey final

In May 2021 he moved to CA Osasuna as a free agent on a three-year contract. His first goal for the club was a penalty on 29 August 2021 in a 3-2 win at Cádiz. In the 2022-23 Copa del Rey he was the competition's top scorer with five goals in the earlier rounds, and Osasuna reached the final, where they finished runners-up. In Pamplona he played 79 matches and scored 13 goals.

Alavés and Espanyol

On 13 August 2023 he signed a two-year deal with newly promoted Deportivo Alavés. He scored three league goals in his first season as the club stayed up. In 2024-25 he reached 13 league goals, his best tally in the top flight, including a hat-trick at the Benito Villamarín on 18 January 2025 in a 3-1 win over Real Betis. He left Vitoria with 18 goals in 71 appearances. When his contract expired in the summer of 2025, he signed a two-year deal with RCD Espanyol as a free agent.