Handy Garcia

“The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.”

The words of legendary screenwriter Bruce Feirstein, who probably wasn’t talking about Luis Garcia when he said that, but he might as well have been.

The news that Liverpool are on the verge of snapping up Fernando Torres, undoubtedly one of the hottest striking talents in world football, has been tempered somewhat by the realisation that in order to make the move happen, the Reds will have to send Garcia the other way.

Atletico Madrid are getting a player who can be pull-your-hair-out frustrating one minute and leap-out-of-your-seat fantastic the next. He is the very definition of a ‘flair player.’ The number 10, the playmaker, the type of player who makes football so enjoyable.

Perhaps this description of Garcia as a fancy dan isn’t a fair one. His record of 30 goals in 121 games for Liverpool suggests a reliable goalscoring midfielder, one of the first names on the teamsheet, but of course with Garcia all isn’t what it seems.

He could lurch from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again in about 10 minutes, and often did. One moment he’d be lazily giving the ball away in the centre of the park, the next he’d be smashing in a 30 yard screamer.

He took time to settle into the English game, as all foreign imports do (and Torres will be no different). Alan Hansen famously declared that Garcia ‘set the world record for jumping out of the way’ in his first season in England, but the fact remains that Liverpool would still only have four European cups if it wasn’t for the little Spaniard.

Goals in both legs of the second round, a stunning volley against Juventus in the quarters and arguably the most important goal in Anfield history in the semi final against Chelsea (and it was a goal Jose, get over it) have ensured that his name will go down in Liverpool folklore. How Liverpool could have done with him in Athens.

While his best performances did come in Europe, he still scored important domestic goals like FA Cup semi-final winners and Merseyside derby strikes in front of the Kop. In short, he packed more into his three years at Anfield than some achieved in ten, and that is why Reds fans took him into their hearts.

But now the little matador sets sail back to his native Spain. You can understand the move. Garcia has a young son, the reason for all those thumb sucking celebrations, and perhaps him and his partner want to bring him up in their homeland.

Rafa Benitez will need to find a special talent to replace him. With the American money in place and the prospect of playing alongside talent like Gerrard, Alonso and Torres he undoubtedly will. But one thing’s for sure: Anfield, and the Premiership, will be a lot less fun without little Luis Garcia.