It was one of the most striking scenes from deadline day across Europe: the young Real Betis forward Pablo Garcia and his parents leaving the club’s facilities in tears ahead of his move to fellow Spanish side Racing Santander.
Garcia was born in Seville, where Betis are based, and joined their academy aged six, impressing as he climbed up the youth ranks and starring for Spain’s Under-19 team (including scoring four goals in a European Championship match against Germany).
But the 20-year-old had not truly established himself for Betis’ senior side. Last season, he made 25 appearances, mostly as a substitute, and his only two goals came in a 7-1 Copa del Rey game against semi-professional side Atletico Palma del Rio.
All involved are aware that former Manchester United winger Antony is coach Manuel Pellegrini’s first-choice option on the right of attack, meaning the youngster’s minutes were set to be limited again this season.
Betis club sources, who asked to speak anonymously to protect their positions, told The Athletic it had been Garcia’s own decision to leave this summer, as he wanted to start more games at senior level. Sources close to Garcia confirmed this.
Pablo Garcia scored his first La Liga goal for Real Betis last month (Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Premier League side Hull City and Greek club Olympiacos were among those to show an interest in Garcia during the summer window, but negotiations with both clubs did not lead to a move.
So, a deadline-day deal was finalised with newly promoted La Liga side Racing Santander, who are paying around €5million ($5.8m; £4.3m) for Garcia with a 50 per cent sell-on clause for Betis.
“We need to focus now on what has to be,” Garcia told reporters at Betis’ Luis del Sol training ground late on Tuesday, having collected his gear from his locker. “It has been very hard for everyone, but it is what it is. We have to keep our heads up and keep going.”
🥹 Pablo García se despide entre lágrimas de su Betis antes de poner rumbo a su nuevo proyecto en Santander: “Esperemos que todo vaya muy bien y que seamos los mejores en Champions”
📹 @_JuanjoPonce pic.twitter.com/YNhKIDfacU
— Estadio Deportivo (@Estadio_ED) September 1, 2026
“It all happened very late; it came up around midday (on Tuesday),” Garcia’s father Ramon told Spanish radio station Cope later on deadline day. “You can imagine how badly we all feel; it’s been 15 years at Betis, a whole life.”
While struggling to hold back the tears, Garcia Jr said he wished Betis the best in their Champions League campaign this season. Pellegrini’s team are returning to Europe’s top club competition for the first time in two decades, and their league-phase opponents include Premier League champions Arsenal and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
As it became clear in recent weeks that Garcia would be leaving his home club and city, there were emotional scenes as he said goodbye to fans at their temporary home stadium, La Cartuja, after the 1-0 opening weekend win against Real Sociedad. He then celebrated a first La Liga goal after coming off the bench and scoring an 83rd-minute winner for the Andalusians in a 1-0 victory against Valencia.
Garcia’s exit helped Betis finalise the free transfer signing of midfielder Dani Ceballos — the 30-year-old is returning to the club where he started his career and played more than 100 games before leaving for Real Madrid in the summer of 2017.
Betis released a video on Tuesday night titled ‘a life in green and white’ showing many moments from Garcia’s 14 years at the club, including goals scored for their various youth teams, up to his tearful celebration at Valencia a week ago.
Una vida en verdiblanco 💚 pic.twitter.com/bbLgXXIN2d
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) September 1, 2026
The saga illustrates some of the harsh realities of professional sport, but it could yet have a happy ending. Racing sources pointed to the fee they paid as a sign of their faith in Garcia — it puts him third in their list of record transfers — and praised the dedication he had shown to Betis.
The deal done with Racing means Betis retain a right of first refusal ahead of any future transfer.
“We’ll have to see, but hopefully I’ll be able to return,” Garcia told reporters at the training ground on Tuesday night. “That’s what we all want.”
“Pablo asked to leave for sporting reasons, but he’s still one of us,” a Betis source told The Athletic.
Additional reporting: Guillermo Rai
