Erik Lamela facts for kids
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Lamela lining up for Tottenham Hotspur in 2020
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Erik Manuel Lamela Cordero | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 March 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right winger, attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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AEK Athens | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2010 | River Plate | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | River Plate | 36 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Roma | 62 | (19) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2021 | Tottenham Hotspur | 177 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Sevilla | 65 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | AEK Athens | 24 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Argentina U20 | 4 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Argentina | 25 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:51, 12 May 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||
Erik Manuel Lamela Cordero (born March 4, 1992) is a professional footballer from Argentina. He plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for the Greek club AEK Athens.
Erik started his career at River Plate in Argentina. In 2011, he moved to the Italian club Roma. After two seasons, he joined the English club Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for the Argentine national team from 2011 to 2018. He helped Argentina reach the finals of the 2015 and 2016 Copa América tournaments.
Contents
Early Life and Talent
Erik Lamela was born on March 4, 1992, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His family gave him the nickname "Coco." When he was just seven years old, he joined the youth team of River Plate.
He quickly became known for his amazing skills. When he was 12, a TV show called Trans World Sport even came to Argentina to interview him. At that time, he had scored an incredible 120 goals for River Plate's youth team in just one season! Young Erik shared his dream to follow in the footsteps of football legend Diego Maradona and win a World Cup for Argentina.
Club Career Highlights
Erik Lamela has played for several top football clubs throughout his career.
Starting at River Plate
Lamela made his first team debut for River Plate on June 14, 2009. He was only 17 years old. He scored his first goal for River Plate in December 2010.
He became a regular player for River Plate during the 2010–11 season. He played 34 games and scored four goals. Even though he played well, River Plate was unfortunately moved down to a lower league that season.
Moving to Roma
On August 6, 2011, Lamela joined the Italian club Roma. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal in October 2011. He finished his first season with six goals in 31 games.
The 2012–13 season was even better for Lamela. He scored 15 goals in 33 games, making him one of the top scorers in the league. He even scored two goals against Milan in a big 4–2 win. Despite his great performance, Roma lost the Coppa Italia final to their rivals Lazio. They also missed out on playing in European competitions.
Time at Tottenham Hotspur
On August 30, 2013, Lamela moved to the English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He became the most expensive player in the club's history at that time.
He made his debut for Tottenham in September 2013. He scored his first goal for the club in a Europa League match in November.
Becoming a Regular Player
In the 2014–15 season, Lamela became a regular starter under the new manager, Mauricio Pochettino. He showed his skill by assisting many goals. On October 23, he scored two goals in a Europa League game. One of these goals was a spectacular "rabona" kick from outside the box. This goal was later named the Europa League 'Goal of the Season'.
He continued to be a key player in the 2015–16 season. He scored his first professional hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a Europa League match in December 2015. He finished that season with his best goal tally in the Premier League.
Injuries and Return
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The 2016–17 season was tough for Lamela due to a hip injury. He was out of action for a long time and needed two operations. He finally returned to play in November 2017 after more than a year. He quickly started making an impact again, assisting a goal in his first game back.
Later Years at Spurs
In July 2018, Lamela signed a new contract with Tottenham. He scored important goals, including one in the Champions League against Barcelona. He was also part of the team that reached the Champions League Final in 2019.
In March 2021, Lamela scored another incredible "rabona" goal in a match against Arsenal. This goal was so good that it won the Premier League Goal of the Season award and the prestigious FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year!
Winning with Sevilla
On July 26, 2021, Lamela joined the Spanish club Sevilla. He started strong, scoring two goals in his first game in La Liga.
In May 2023, he scored a crucial goal in extra time during the Europa League semi-final. This goal sent Sevilla to the final. In the final, Sevilla faced his old club Roma. Lamela scored in the penalty shootout, helping Sevilla win the game and the UEFA Europa League title! This was his first major trophy in professional football. He left Sevilla in May 2024 when his contract ended.
Joining AEK Athens
On July 21, 2024, Lamela signed a three-year contract with the Greek club AEK Athens. He joined them as a free agent.
International Career
Lamela has also represented his home country, Argentina, in football.
He played for the Argentina U20 team in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scoring three goals.
He made his debut for the senior Argentina national team on May 25, 2011. In September 2014, he scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly match against Germany.
Lamela was part of the Argentine squad for the 2015 Copa América and the 2016 Copa América. In the 2016 tournament, he scored a goal against Bolivia with a long-range free kick. He also scored in the quarter-final against Venezuela. Argentina reached the final of both tournaments but finished as runners-up.
Personal Life
Erik Lamela is in a long-term relationship with Sofia Herrero. They have two sons together, Tobias (born in 2017) and Thiago (born in 2020).
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2008–09 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Argentine Primera División | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 4 | ||||
| Roma | 2011–12 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 31 | 6 | |||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 33 | 15 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 36 | 15 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 19 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 67 | 21 | |||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2013–14 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 | — | 46 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 34 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | — | 44 | 11 | ||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 14 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| Total | 177 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 49 | 12 | — | 257 | 37 | |||
| Sevilla | 2021–22 | La Liga | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 24 | 5 | ||
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 32 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 13 | 2 | — | 49 | 9 | |||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Total | 65 | 13 | 6 | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 16 | |||
| AEK Athens | 2024–25 | Super League Greece | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 352 | 54 | 31 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 71 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 470 | 80 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 3 | |
- As of match played 20 November 2018. Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2014 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany |  Germany |
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Friendly |
| 2 | 14 June 2016 | CenturyLink Field, Seattle, United States |  Bolivia |
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Copa América Centenario |
| 3 | 18 June 2016 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States |  Venezuela |
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Awards and Achievements
Sevilla
Individual
- Premier League Goal of the Month: March 2021
- Premier League Goal of the Season: 2020–21
- FIFA Puskas Award: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Erik Lamela para niños
