Santi García and Gil Vicente under César Peixoto | OneFootball

Santi García has been a revelation in a superb season for Gil Vicente

Gil Vicente are one of the most romantic stories in Liga Portugal 2025/26. After 22 matchdays, César Peixoto’s side sit in 4th place and come off a 2–1 win over SC Braga in Barcelos, completed with comeback. The most relevant point is not only their position in the table, but the way performance levels have held despite major January exits. Pablo, the team’s top scorer, joined West Ham for the biggest fee ever received by the club, a €23 million transfer. Goalkeeper Andrew, already nearing the end of his contract, moved to Flamengo for just €1 million, a figure that may surprise anyone not paying close attention. The impact of those departures has been absorbed collectively, with several players sustaining the team’s competitive level, including Luís Esteves, Marvin Elimbi and Santi García.

Preparation for 2025/26 was not defined by a deep rebuild. There were financially significant sales, such as Félix Correia to Lille for €7.5 million, but recruitment was surgical and tied to clear needs within the model. The arrival of Antonio Espigares, signed from Villarreal for €250,000, added a young, high-upside option for the centre-back unit. Luís Esteves, recruited on a free transfer after his contract with Nacional ended following three seasons with the Madeira club, raised the team’s quality in possession, particularly through clarity in decision-making and technical-tactical competence in central zones. On the left, Ghislain Konan brought immediate competitiveness and athletic capacity to a flank now used more frequently, returning to Portugal at no cost after spells in Ligue 1, Saudi Arabia and LaLiga2.

César Peixoto and his coaching staff at Gil Vicente (Photo: gilvicentefc.pt)

With César Peixoto, Gil Vicente show a more complex identity: tactical rigour, intensity in contact, and more consistent collective behaviour on the ball, supported by well-assimilated dynamics. Set-piece work has gained weight within the model and has been a key differentiator, with the team presenting multiple routines and sustained threat in attacking dead-ball situations.

Santi García’s arrival in Barcelos and pathway

This is the framework in which Santi García emerges as a central figure. A midfielder capable of operating as a 6, 8 or 10, the Spaniard, born in Madrid, came through Getafe’s academy and made one first-team appearance at 22, during the 2023/24 season. In 2024/25 he moved to Barcelos, with the coach Bruno Pinheiro then in charge. That first season was mainly an adaptation period, within an unstable context and irregular collective performance, only stabilised by César Peixoto’s arrival in March 2025, late in the calendar, when Gil Vicente would ultimately finish 13th.

A connector and stabiliser in central midfield

Within César Peixoto’s model, Santi García often appears as a box-to-box midfielder, yet his usefulness extends beyond his coverage radius. He is a connector and stabiliser, able to link units with composure and keep the team functional across phases. In attacking organisation, he regularly drops towards the wide zones to support build-up, creates interior passing lanes, and ensures continuity through quick decisions, alternating short circulation with progressive passing when he identifies the right moment to accelerate. His close control and technical quality allow him to receive in congested zones and exit with the ball under control, although he is not a player who carries the ball over long distances.

Santi García season stats (Source: FotMob.com)

His offensive impact also shows in end product. Across 1,696 minutes, he has 5 goals from an xG of 2.80, which points to above-expected finishing for his position and for the zones he tends to occupy. Shot volume is also meaningful: 43 attempts, 15 on target, signalling active involvement in arriving in shooting areas and consistent ability to test the goalkeeper. The xGOT figure (4.17) reinforces that reading, suggesting strong shot execution when he does get the chance, with placement and power sufficient to turn attempts into real opportunities. Finally, 8 headed shots provide context for his usefulness on set pieces and in box-attacking moments, where he has the presence to win space and attack the ball.

Santi García season stats per 90 minutes (Source: FotMob.com)

In carrying, he is not a high-volume dribbler, but he is functional and efficient: 1.59 successful dribbles per 90 with a 65.2% success rate indicates good selection of moments and competent execution when he needs to escape pressure in tight spaces. For a central midfielder, this translates more into protective dribbles and first-contact escapes than into long carries to gain territory. In duels, the volume is high: 7.11 duels won per 90, with a 47.0% overall success rate. That percentage needs context, because this type of midfielder is often exposed to contested actions in congested areas, second balls and high-risk contacts, where control margins are smaller. His aerial game remains a relevant feature: 2.02 aerial duels won per 90, reinforcing his ability to compete in the air and add value on both defensive and attacking set pieces.

Space occupation and physical contact

Out of possession, his reading is equally decisive. Santi adds depth to Gil Vicente’s defensive behaviour through disciplined space occupation and consistent ability to close interior passing lanes. His aggression in duels is supported by a clear understanding of the game plan, with tight marking and pressure triggers defined by the coaching staff according to the opponent’s profile. In this dimension, he interprets well when to press and where to press.

Santi García season stats per 90 minutes (Source: FotMob.com)

The numbers confirm a midfielder with active involvement without the ball and impact across multiple moments of the defensive cycle. His 1.38 tackles per 90 and 3.82 recoveries per 90 point to constant presence around the ball and an ability to regain possession for the team, both in transition after loss and in organised defending. The figure of 0.74 possessions won in the final third per 90 reinforces the idea of a midfielder involved in intentional, oriented pressure and higher recoveries, aligned with the previously mentioned triggers and execution.

There are two metrics worth highlighting regarding duels and contact. The first is fouls committed (1.54 per 90), consistent with an aggressive, intervention-heavy midfielder who uses contact to stop transitions and protect central space. The second is 0.96 dribbled past per 90, which, for a midfielder with pressing and containment responsibilities, also needs context: it appears when the player is asked to jump to the ball-carrier, close down at speed with risk, and live more often in front-facing duels. It is not automatically negative, but it reflects the natural cost of an active role outside the block.

As for physical profile, he has good size, presence and strength to contest second balls, gain ground in body-to-body confrontations and protect the ball in transition. He is not limited to physical contact. His technical execution is more refined than a pure ball-winner, visible in his first touch and his ability to pass consistently under pressure. That allows him to contribute in games with greater territorial dominance and in matches where the team must stay compact and work longer without the ball, with a need for a player who stabilises after regaining possession.

On set pieces, his contribution is dual and significant. In attacking organisation, he has already impacted the scoreboard with a goal, attacking space well and using his physical capacity to win aerial duels. The more constant impact appears in defensive organisation: he is a key element in protecting the box, occupying high-risk zones, winning aerial contests and clearing second balls, helping the team maintain control in a phase where Gil Vicente show clear attention to detail and execution.

Santi García stats compared to other attacking midfielders/wingers in Liga Portugal (Source: FotMob.com)

The strongest marker is his aerial game: 95th percentile for aerial duels won compared to other midfielders in Liga Portugal. This adds context to his set-piece impact. It is a rare comparative advantage for the position, useful for box protection and as an attacking threat. In possession, the touches indicator (77th percentile) suggests a player frequently involved in circulation and in linking units, consistent with the idea of a balancing midfielder who offers constant support. In arriving to finishing zones, the chart points to real participation: shot attempts (61st percentile) and goals (67th percentile). For a midfielder, these percentiles support the reading that he appears regularly in decision zones and converts above the positional average. The more modest area is direct creation: chances created (33rd percentile). The numbers place him away from the profile of a primary final-pass source or close-range creator. They frame him as a continuity, link and balance player who prepares play and sustains the team, with final creation assigned to a different profile, which in Gil Vicente’s case is Luís Esteves.

Santi García’s value lies in the combination of reliability and adaptability. He interprets the game plan, executes with intensity, and sustains balance across different zones of the pitch, with the capacity to take on containment tasks and linking duties in possession. His aerial presence on defensive set pieces adds immediate impact in a context where Gil Vicente are highly rigorous in all aspects of the game, including dead-ball situations. If he maintains this level of consistency, he profiles as a player with a pathway to higher-demand contexts, provided he is placed within a model with clearly defined responsibilities aligned with his strongest qualities, both in mentality and in tactical terms.