Rudi Garcia

Rudi José Garcia (French pronunciation: [ʁydi gaʁsja]; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈruði ɣaɾˈθi.a]; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Belgium national team.

Garcia began his professional career with Lille, and went on to have stints with multiple other French sides. As a manager, he has coached clubs including Lille, Roma, Marseille, Lyon, Al Nassr, and Napoli. Garcia was named the head coach of Belgium in 2025.

Rudi Garcia's father, José, was a Spanish expatriate who played football at a professional level for Sedan and Dunkerque. His grandparents had left Andalusia for the Ardennes region during the Spanish Civil War. Garcia is named after German cyclist Rudi Altig.

Between 1992 and 1994, Garcia enrolled for university, and gained a DEUG and a STAPS degree at Orsay, as well as French qualifications that entitled him to manage a youth training centre.

When José Garcia became the coach of local team Corbeil-Essonnes, he drafted his son into the squad, where Rudi played until cadet level. As Corbeil-Essonnes did not have a national cadets side, Rudi joined the Viry-Châtillon team. He was 18 when he obtained his baccalauréat and signed for Lille, where he would spend two years as an intern and four as part of the professional squad.

Playing as an attacking midfielder, Garcia's first goal for Lille was a notable affair. In December 1984, Lille travelled to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain. With both sides tied at 2–2, Garcia netted to earn his side a win over the Parisian club.

After Lille, Garcia joined Caen, where he was coached by Robert Nouzaret and Daniel Jeandupeux. In 1991, he opted to join Martigues rather than signing on with the Normandy club. Serious injuries to his back and knee forced him to retire from professional football at the age of 28, in 1992.

In 1995, Garcia returned to Corbeil to manage the Division d'Honneur side with two months remaining in the season. He guided the club out of relegation. Then, in the seasons that followed, one ended with the club in mid-table and another in a second-place finish.