Real Betis player Pablo Garcia was forced to leave his boyhood club on transfer deadline day to join Racing Santander due to LaLiga financial rules.
The 20-year-old had been a regular for Real Betis this season, featuring in all three league fixtures, but has now signed a contract with Racing Santander after Betis needed to raise funds to finance the return of Dani Ceballos.
Garcia joined Real Betis at six years old and worked his way through the academy ranks to become a first-team regular. He made 33 total appearances for the club and scored six goals, including a late winning goal against Valencia last week.
He was seen in floods of tears as he left the stadium on Tuesday evening alongside his mother, waving to supporters while wiping his eyes after being sold on deadline day.
LaLiga salary rules force squad choices
Real Betis were keen to re-sign Ceballos from Real Madrid, but strict LaLiga salary limits required the club to raise funds quickly. Betis were essentially forced to choose between the two players and selected Ceballos, who signed a three-year contract.
Ceballos, 30, was contracted to Real Madrid for nine years in total, including two seasons on loan at English Premier League club Arsenal in London. The midfielder originally joined Real Betis as a teenager and played for the Seville-based side until moving to Real Madrid in 2017. Real Betis compete in LaLiga, the top tier of Spanish football, where clubs operate under strict squad spending controls governed by league president Javier Tebas.
Racing Santander, based in Santander in northern Spain, secured the signing of Garcia as part of the deadline day transaction. Garcia now moves from top-flight football in Seville to join the Cantabrian club.
Outrage from supporters and family
Football fans expressed shock at the decision to sell the young player. Writing on social media platform X, one supporter called the move shameless and said you do not do this to family, while another asked if the club leadership was ashamed. A third fan described the situation as really sad and said Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, was to blame.
Speaking to Spanish media, Garcia acknowledged the emotional impact of the transfer. "It is a very difficult time for everyone, but we have to keep our heads up and look forward. I hope to return, that is what we all want," Garcia said. He added: "There were many things I could not influence. I wish everything had gone as we had all hoped. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart to all Betis fans."
His father also spoke out about the transfer during an interview on Spanish sports radio network RadioCOPE. "This is really hard for us. If that is how Betis fans feel, imagine how we must feel. It was 15 years, a whole eternity," his father said.
Next matches and upcoming schedule
Real Betis return to action on Saturday when they take on Rayo Vallecano. Meanwhile, Ceballos could be in line to make his second debut for Real Betis against his former club Real Madrid this weekend. The two teams will face off next in December.
