Boniek García


Óscar Boniek García Ramírez is a Honduran footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. He received his middle name Boniek after famous Polish international player Zbigniew Boniek. Before moving to the United States, García had a successful career in Honduras with Olimpia, winning 8 league titles. He currently is the 4th most capped Honduran footballer of all time and has the 5th most appearances for the Dynamo in club history.

Club career

García made his senior debut on August 10, 2003 with Real Patepluma, losing 4–1 to Atlético Olanchano. In 2004, he joined Olimpia of Honduras. He also played for Marathón of Honduras. He also went for a 15-day trial with French club Paris Saint Germain and played two friendly games with the team that toured Portugal to play against Vitória Guimarães and Benfica.
During August 2009, it was announced that he would travel to Wigan Athletic, who were in the English Premier League at the time, in order to sign a three-year contract with the club, along with fellow Honduran, Roger Rojas. The contract was not signed and García stayed with Olimpia.
On June 7, 2012, García signed with Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo to become their 2nd ever Designated Player. He made his Dynamo debut on June 30 in a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union. On July 15, 2012, he scored his first goal in a Dynamo jersey and in Major League Soccer against D.C. United in the 62nd minute. Boniek's impact was immense, with the Dynamo having a +10 goal differential and a record of 9-4-6 after he joined the team. On August 30, García returned to Olimpia as the Dynamo traveled to Honduras to face his old club in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. He would play all 90 minutes as Houston earned a 1-1 draw. On November 26, 2012, Boniek was awarded the "Newcomer of the Year" and "Player's Player of the Year" award by the team, despite playing only half of the season. García was also named the MLS Latin Player of the Year, as voted on by fans. He helped the team reach MLS Cup in 2012, where the Dynamo would fall to the LA Galaxy 3-1.
On October 27, 2013, Boniek scored in a 2-1 win over DC United in a game that clinched the Dynamo's spot in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs. He scored again on October 31 in a 3-0 win over the Montreal Impact in the first game of the playoffs. In the second leg of the conference finals, Boniek scored in the 3rd minute to give the Dynamo a 1-0 lead on aggregate. However, Sporting Kansas City would come back and win 2-1.
2014 was a mixed year for Boniek. he got to represent Honduras at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but the Dynamo missed out on a playoff spot by 10 points, in part because the team struggled when Boniek missed games for international duty. However, his volley against the Chicago Fire on September 28 was named the Dynamo's Goal of the Year.
The Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs in 2015 and 2016, but Boniek helped lead them to a return in 2017 under new coach Wilmer Cabrera. Although he only made 12 starts on the year, his fewest since joining the Dynamo, Boniek was an important leader in the locker room and on the field. He signed a new contract with Houston on 11 December 2017.
2018 saw Boniek and the Dynamo fail to qualify for the playoffs, however he would make 3 appearances in the US Open Cup, including a start in the final, as Houston won the tournament for the first time in club history. The win qualified them for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, returning to the competition for the first time since 2013.
Boniek made his first appearance of the season on 26 February, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over C.D. Guastatoya in a Champions League match. He picked up his first assist on 18 May in a 2-1 win over D.C. United. On 29 September, Boniek made his 200th MLS appearance for the Dynamo, becoming the 4th player in club history to reach that milestone. 2019 saw a personal resurgence for Boniek, playing the most minutes of his Dynamo career and bringing energy to the middle of the pitch. However, the Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs once again. On 20 December he signed a one year contract to remain in Houston.

International career

García made his debut for Honduras in a July 2005 friendly match against Canada and has played at the 2007, 2009, and 2011 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 2005, 2007, and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cups. Boniek helped Honduras win the 2011 Copa Centroamericana finish second at the 2013 Copa Centroamericana. He was also a non-playing squad member at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played all three group E matches for Honduras at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil including against France when he came on as a substitute. Boniek earned his 100th cap for Honduras on 4 September 2015 in a 3-0 win against Venezuela. Boniek has the 4th most caps for Honduras with 125 caps.

Personal life

He was given the middle name Boniek in honor of Zbigniew Boniek, the famous Polish international footballer. Boniek's dad was a professional soccer player for Olimpia. García chose to have the name "Boniek" written across the back of his jersey while playing for Houston. Boniek and his wife Ivania Reyes have a daughter and twin sons.
Every offseason, García returns home to do charitable work in Honduras. First inspired by former Honduran international Víctor Bernárdez, García collected toys for kids dealing with cancer. He has also donated school supplies and clothes to underprivileged children in Honduras, as well as doing charitable work in the Houston area throughout the year.
García holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

Career statistics

Club Statistics


International Statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year

International Goals

Honours

Club

C.D. Olimpia

Honduras

Houston Dynamo