SAD NEWS: Brighton player 9-year-old daughter died after an eight-year illness.

Oscar Garcia, a former Barcelona player and manager, has opened up about the most painful chapter of his life—the loss of his 21-year-old daughter, Mariona, in November 2022 after an eight-year battle with a serious illness. For the first time, he shared publicly how her passing has affected him, along with the challenges he faced both in his personal life and his coaching career.

In a moving interview, Garcia discussed the immense grief he, along with his two other daughters, Jana and Emma, are experiencing. He emphasized the importance of strength, but also allowed space for grief, saying, “We should cry and deal with this in whatever way we can. But we will eventually be strong because nothing will hurt more than this.”

Garcia revealed that the support he received from people, including former teammates and coaches, was a source of comfort during his mourning. He also touched upon how this personal crisis coincided with his professional difficulties, including being dismissed by **Stade de Reims** while grappling with his daughter’s illness.

Garcia, a highly respected coach who has managed teams like **Red Bull Salzburg**, **Maccabi Tel Aviv**, and **Watford**, noted how the demands of football management often obscure the human side of coaches. He shared his experience of balancing family concerns, such as his daughter’s illness, with the high-pressure environment of football management, which led to his departure from several clubs, including Watford after a health scare linked to the stress of managing amid personal crises.

Despite these tragedies, Garcia has vowed to return to coaching, reflecting on the resilience he has built through his family’s hardship. Now ready to return to football, Garcia looks to pursue opportunities in management, perhaps with the aim of working once again in England, where he previously managed **Brighton and Hove Albion** and still feels he has “unfinished business.” His experiences, both on and off the pitch, have shaped his outlook, as he aims to seize future opportunities, embracing the motto “Carpe diem.”

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