Lucas Moura facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Rodrigues and the second or paternal family name is Moura da Silva.

Quick facts for kids
Lucas Moura

Moura lining up for Tottenham Hotspur in 2020

Personal information

Date of birth

13 August 1992 (age 32)

Place of birth

São Paulo, Brazil

Height

1.72 m

Playing position

Winger, centre-forward

Club information

Current club

São Paulo

Number

Youth career

1999–2002

Juventus-SP

2002–2005

Corinthians

2005–2010

São Paulo

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2010–2012

São Paulo

103

(28)

2013–2018

Paris Saint-Germain

153

(34)

2018–2023

Tottenham Hotspur

152

(20)

2023–

São Paulo

(11)

National team^‡

2011–2012

Brazil U20

(4)

2012

Brazil U23

(1)

2011–

Brazil

(4)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Brazil
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner	2013 Brazil
Olympic Games
Silver	2012 London	Team
South American U-20 Championship
Winner	2011 Peru

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:17, 18 October 2024 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:37, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva (born 13 August 1992), known as Lucas Moura (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈlukaz ˈmowɾɐ]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right winger and centre-forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club São Paulo and the Brazil national team.

Moura started his professional career at São Paulo where he became one of the best players in the Campeonato Brasileiro. His pace and dribbling skills garnered attention from numerous European clubs, eventually earning him a transfer to French side Paris Saint-Germain. After winning multiple domestic trophies over a five-year span at the club, Moura was then signed by English side Tottenham Hotspur. He was involved in the side reaching their first ever UEFA Champions League final, scoring a historic hat-trick against Ajax in the second leg of the semi-final of the competition to help Spurs advance to the final. After five years with Tottenham, Moura returned to São Paulo in 2023, winning the Copa do Brasil in his first season back at the club.

Moura made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2011 and has since earned over 30 caps, representing the nation at two editions of the Copa América, the 2012 Olympics (where he won a silver medal), and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning the latter title.

Club career
International career
Style of play
Career statistics
- Club
- International
Honours
See also

Club career

São Paulo

Moura joined São Paulo FC in 2005 after playing for the youth teams of Clube Atlético Juventus and Corinthians and was known as Marcelinho since he played for a Marcelinho Carioca football school as a child and also had physical resemblance with the former footballer. Having had prominence at youth level, he was promoted to play professionally by Milton Cruz. Moura made his debut with the São Paulo first-team in 2010, scoring 4 goals and providing four assists in 25 appearances. In the same year, he stated his desire to be known for his given name instead of a nickname to "make his own history in football without comparisons". In 2011, Moura scored nine goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances in the Campeonato Brasileiro and 13 goals and eight assists in all competitions.

Paris Saint-Germain

Moura training with Paris Saint-Germain in 2013

During the summer of 2012, Manchester United and Inter Milan were reported to be interested in signing Moura. On 8 August 2012, Paris Saint-Germain won the battle and announced the player would be moving to the club in January 2013. He would be the club's most expensive signing. The transfer fee was reported to be in the region of €45 million (£38 million). It was announced that Moura would wear the No. 29 shirt for the remainder of the season.

On 11 January 2013, Moura made his debut against AC Ajaccio, in a match that ended as a 0–0 draw. He also played in the Champions League away victory over Valencia on 12 February, assisting a goal in the process. On 13 September 2013, he scored his first goal for PSG in a 2–0 league victory over Bordeaux.

For the 2014–15 season, following Jérémy Ménez's transfer to A.C. Milan, Moura was handed the No. 7 shirt – the same number he wore while playing for São Paulo. He made his season debut for PSG in their 2–0 Trophée des Champions victory over Coupe de France winners EA Guingamp on 2 August 2014 at the Workers Stadium in Beijing.

He scored his first goal of the 2014–15 Ligue 1 campaign on 16 August, volleying in a Gregory van der Wiel cross as PSG defeated Bastia 2–0. On 5 October, Moura scored the opening goal in a match that finished 1–1 against title rivals Monaco. With his two goals in PSG's 3–0 victory over Bordeaux on 25 October, he equalled his league tally from the previous season.

On 7 August 2015, Moura scored the first goal of the 2015–16 Ligue 1 season in PSG's 1–0 defeat of Lille OSC at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

On 15 October 2016, Moura scored PSG's first goal in the 13th minute in a 2–1 away win against AS Nancy in a Ligue 1 match with a curling free-kick from the left which nobody got a touch to; that was his fifth league goal of the 2016–17 Ligue 1 season. For the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, he appeared only as substitute six times for the club, and left in January 2018.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 31 January 2018, Moura signed a contract with Tottenham Hotspur until 2023 for a transfer fee of around £25 million. He made his debut for Tottenham in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League match against Juventus on 13 February 2018, coming on as a late substitute in the match that ended in a 2–2 draw. He made his first start as well as scoring his first goal for the club in the FA Cup tie against Rochdale on 18 February 2018 that also finished 2–2.

In the 2018–19 season, Moura scored his first Premier League goal on 18 August 2018 in Spurs' 3–1 win over Fulham. In the following match on 27 August 2018, he scored a brace against Manchester United as Tottenham won 3–0 in only their third away win at Old Trafford in 27 games. He scored his first Champions League goal for Spurs in the group round match against PSV. In the away match against Barcelona at Camp Nou, Moura scored a late equaliser after Barcelona took an early lead in the game. The game ended 1–1, which sent Tottenham through into the knockout stage together with Barcelona. On 13 April 2019, he scored a hat-trick in the 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town. This was his first hat-trick in Europe and the first ever hat-trick scored at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On 8 May 2019, Moura scored a second half hat-trick in Tottenham's 3–2 victory over Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena in the second leg of their Champions League semi-finals. Spurs came back from 2–0 down on the night, and 3–0 down on aggregate to win on away goals. His third goal, in the 96th minute, sent his team into a Champions League final for the first time in their history. This performance led L'Équipe to award him a perfect 10 rating, making him the tenth ever player to be awarded a 10 rating by them.

On 9 August 2019, Moura signed a new contract with Tottenham until 2024. He scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season on 17 August 2019, equalising against Manchester City within nineteen seconds of being introduced as a substitute.

On 12 January 2023, it was announced that Moura's Spurs contract would not be extended. On 18 May, the club confirmed that he would depart in the summer. On May 28, the last day of the Premier League season, Moura netted during stoppage time in an emphatic 4–1 win over Leeds United in his final game for the club.

Return to São Paulo

In August 2023, after three months without a club, Lucas Moura returned to São Paulo Futebol Clube, marking his comeback after eleven years. His signing garnered attention as the biggest move of the winter transfer window in Brazilian football, creating a significant buzz on social media. The contract stipulated his stay until December.

During his presentation, he received the number 7 shirt, worn in his initial stint, handed over by the previous holder, Alisson.

On July 6, he played his return match, coming in on the second half in the 2–0 defeat against Atlético Mineiro at Morumbi. He participated in an emotional pre-match presentation alongside the high-profile addition James Rodríguez. Despite a positive debut with chances created, he conceded the penalty which resulted in the second Atlético goal. He scored his first goal since his return on August 13, in the 1–1 draw against Flamengo in the 19th round of Brasileirão.

On August 16, he had the standout performance of the Copa do Brasil semifinals, helping São Paulo win the return match against Corinthians by 2–0 (3–2 on aggregate). During the match, Lucas outpaced and dribbled past Corinthians' slow and visibly frustrated defense, creating multiple chances before finally scoring a header in the 32nd minute of the first half, securing the comeback in the aggregate score.

On August 24, he scored the only goal in São Paulo's 2–1 away defeat to LDU in the Copa Sudamericana, which marked his first appearance in the competition since 2012.

Lucas played both legs of the Cup final against Flamengo, with São Paulo winning the away game 1–0 and tying the home match 1–1, thus securing São Paulo's first Copa do Brasil title. Despite only playing three matches, Lucas was praised as one of the key players in the tournament.

On December 22, he extended his contract with São Paulo until the end of 2026.

International career

Youth career and early senior career

Moura in 2011

Moura was a frequent member of Brazil's Under-20 international side. In February 2011, he played for Brazil in the Under-20 South American Championship where he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 victory over Uruguay in the final. Moura made his senior international debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Scotland on 27 March 2011. On 28 September 2011, Moura scored his first senior international goal for Brazil against Argentina.

2011 Copa América

Moura was named in Mano Menezes' squad for the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. Moura appeared in the group stage matches against Paraguay, Ecuador and Venezuela as a second-half substitute on all occasions. He once again featured as a substitute in Brazil's penalty shoot-out defeat to Paraguay in the quarter-finals which eliminated Brazil from the competition.

2012 Olympics

Moura was selected to compete for the Brazil Olympic football team in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London along with club teammates Casemiro and Bruno Uvini. He appeared in three matches as a substitute, including the Gold medal match with Mexico, and started in the 3–0 group stage victory over New Zealand.

2013 Confederations Cup

Moura was selected by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil.

Copa América Centenario

In 2016, Moura was named in Dunga's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario in the United States.

Style of play

Credited as a quick and mobile winger, who is also powerful, creative, and technically gifted, Moura is also known for his explosive acceleration, agility, jumping, and pace – both on and off the ball –, as well as his movement, and his excellent dribbling skills, in particular his use of trickery and feints, which make him a dangerous offensive threat. A versatile player, he is also capable of playing in several positions, and has also been deployed as a forward, in midfield, as a support striker, or even as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers. However, he has been accused of being inconsistent in the media, in particular in his youth, while his vision and decision–making have also been cited as weaknesses to his game.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			State league		National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
São Paulo	2010	Série A	25	4	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		25	4
	2011		28	9	8	3	4	0	—		3	1	—		43	13
	2012		21	6	21	6	9	2	—		9	2	—		60	16
	Total		74	19	29	9	13	2	—		12	3	—		128	33
Paris Saint-Germain	2012–13	Ligue 1	10	0	—		1	0	0	0	4	0	—		15	0
	2013–14		36	5	—		2	0	4	0	10	0	1	0	53	5
	2014–15		29	7	—		4	1	4	0	8	0	1	0	46	8
	2015–16		36	9	—		6	1	4	1	9	2	1	0	56	13
	2016–17		37	12	—		5	3	3	2	7	1	1	1	53	19
	2017–18		5	1	—		0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
	Total		153	34	—		18	5	16	3	38	3	4	1	229	46
Tottenham Hotspur	2017–18	Premier League	6	0	—		4	1	—		1	0	—		11	1
	2018–19		32	10	—		2	0	3	0	12	5	—		49	15
	2019–20		35	4	—		5	2	1	0	6	1	—		47	7
	2020–21		30	3	—		3	1	4	0	13	5	—		50	9
	2021–22		34	2	—		2	1	4	2	5	1	—		45	6
	2022–23		15	1	—		1	0	0	0	3	0	—		19	1
	Total		152	20	—		17	5	12	2	40	12	—		221	39
São Paulo	2023	Série A	14	1	—		3	1	—		2	1	—		19	3
	2024	Série A	24	9	7	2	5	1	—		7	1	—		43	13
	Total		38	10	7	2	8	2	—		9	2	—		62	16
Career total			416	83	36	11	55	14	29	4	98	19	4	1	638	133

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2011	10	1
	2012	12	2
	2013	9	1
	2015	2	0
	2016	1	0
	2018	1	0
	2024	2	0
Total		37	4

Scores and results tables list Brazil's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Lucas Moura
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 September 2011	Estádio Olímpico do Pará, Belém, Brazil	Argentina	1–0	2–0	2011 Superclásico de las Américas
2	10 September 2012	Estádio do Arruda, Recife, Brazil	China	3–0	8–0	Friendly
3	11 October 2012	Swedbank Stadion, Malmö, Sweden	Iraq	6–0	6–0
4	9 June 2013	Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	France	3–0	3–0