Zach Lowy speaks with interim Ajax head coach Carlos Garcia on his career and what success looks like in Amsterdam.
- Follow Zach on X
At 42 years old, Carlos García Badías has already enjoyed professional stints in Spain, Israel, Türkiye, China, Italy, the United States, and Albania. But now, he’s starting a new journey in the Netherlands. Born on April 29, 1984, García grew up on the outskirts of the Camp Nou and developed in RCD Espanyol’s academy, rising through the ranks for club and country and winning the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Championship in England before leading Spain to the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship Final. He made his debut against the Galácticos, faccing off against the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Ronaldo, before dropping down to Almería-based Polideportivo Ejido on loan.
García then joined UD Almería on a permanent deal in 2005, where he guided them to their first-ever promotion to LaLiga in 2007 under Unai Emery, earning praise from the likes of Troy Townsend. He emerged as a ubiquitous figure in central defense, apart from a loan spell at Real Betis, before heading to Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C and guiding them to three straight league titles. After a brief spell with Alanyaspor, García then decided to retire after receiving a call from ex-Espanyol teammate Jordi Cruyff, who was Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Sporting Director at the time. García worked alongside Cruyff in Tel Aviv as well as Chinese side Chongqing Dangdai Lifan, but he was unable to undergo a single training session with the Ecuadorian national team due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, they took their talents to Chinese side Shenzhen FC.
García then enjoyed his first spell as a head coach with Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam FC in the Israeli second tier before returning to assistant duties with Serie A outfit Udinese Calcio and MLS side Chicago Fire, followed by a managerial spell with Albanian side Flamurtari FC. After departing in October 2025, García then linked up with Óscar García as the new assistant coach of Ajax’s U-21 side. Just a few weeks later, they were promoted to the Ajax first team, with Cruyff entrusting the Spaniard with yet another major challenge.
Football Oranje spoke to García about a number of topics, including:
From getting rejected by Espanyol and Barcelona’s academies, to joining Espanyol, to playing for the national team…what was that rollercoaster journey like for you at such a young age?
When I was in the U-14s, I was able to choose between going to Espanyol and Barcelona, and the people who were there at Espanyol told me that the following year I would play with the team that was a year ahead of me, so I think that was a very good decision to join Espanyol. Sometimes, the kids don’t have to rush to take steps forward, but competing with people who were a year older than me allowed me to make the national team. If we were to compare it to the U.S., it would be like the state team — Catalonia is a state just like Illinois — and from there, I was able to reach the Spanish national team one year ahead of time.
How would you say that your playing style evolved over the entirety of your career? Is it safe to say that the Carlos that started out in 2003 was radically different from the one that retired in 2017?
There’s a huge difference in terms of understanding the game and recognizing situations where you can anticipate more of what’s going to happen. You don’t depend on the striker’s play as much; you’re more relaxed. In the end, football is about deception. The striker is constantly trying to deceive the defender, so you’re always tracking the striker’s movements, and then you realize that you didn’t manage to track him. You start using other virtues — you start learning how to make physical contact to make them lose balance, you start being much more intelligent on a footballing level. You’re making less of an effort, but an effort of higher quality, you’re choosing the actions where you need to make those efforts. It’s also true that you have to do this because at 32-33, your body isn’t what it was at 19, so you have to adapt it to your physical conditions.
You’ve been coaching for the past decade…who’s the best player that you have played with?
There are two very good players who I was lucky enough to train at Udinese. One is Gerard Deulofeu, who had been a youth player for Barça, and I wish him all the best in a difficult recovery from a knee injury. Another guy who surprised me a lot – I knew him, but not that well – he’s an Argentinian guy, Roberto ‘Tucu’ Pereyra, who had played for Juventus at Watford. I thought he was a very technically gifted player, physically good, very intelligent, just like Gerard. They’re not just football players who attack well and defend well. They have extraordinary qualities; just watching them play and train, you learn about football. I think those two players, for me, have been the best I’ve ever coached or shared training sessions with. It’s a very, very, very high level for me. They were playing a different sport.
One last question: What does a successful spell with Ajax look like for you?
It’s all about improving players, bringing players from the youth team into the first team, and making sure that the team achieves a better finish than last season. But above all, the players need to improve – I think that has to be the main objective.
Follow
Follow @Footballoranje_ on Twitter
