Lucho González facts for kids
González lining up for Porto in 2013
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Óscar González | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Huracán | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Huracán | 111 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | River Plate | 82 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Porto | 111 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Marseille | 87 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Porto | 57 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Al-Rayyan | 26 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | River Plate | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Athletico Paranaense | 103 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 594 | (96) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Argentina U23 | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2011 | Argentina | 45 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Athletico Paranaense (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Ceará | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Internacional (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Athletico Paranaense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Luis Óscar "Lucho" González (born 19 January 1981) is a former professional footballer from Argentina. He is now a manager. Lucho was a very flexible midfielder who could play in many different positions. He was especially known for his powerful shots, great passes, and hard work on the field.
People called him El Comandante (the commander) because he was a strong leader. Lucho started his career with Huracán and River Plate in Argentina. In 2005, he joined Porto in Portugal. He played 241 games and scored 61 goals for Porto in two different periods. During his time there, he won ten major titles.
He also played for Marseille in France, Al-Rayyan in Qatar, and Athletico Paranaense in Brazil. Lucho won 29 trophies in his career. Among Argentine players, only Lionel Messi has won more. Lucho played 45 times for the Argentina national team. He represented his country in the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Argentina
Lucho González was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His mother was from Chile and his father was from Uruguay. He began playing football at Huracán when he was 14 years old. He played his first top-division game on 29 April 1999.
Three years later, Lucho moved to another team in Buenos Aires, River Plate. There, he helped his team win two Clausura tournaments in 2003 and 2004. He scored 23 goals in 120 games for River Plate.
Success with Porto
Lucho's great playing at River Plate led him to sign a five-year contract with Porto in Portugal in 2005. In his first season, he scored ten goals in 30 matches. He helped Porto win the Primeira Liga title, which was the first of four in a row for the team.
Lucho eventually became the team captain at Porto. In November 2006, he signed a new five-year deal. Porto fully bought his player rights in 2007, showing how much they valued him.
On 22 March 2009, Lucho scored a goal in the Taça de Portugal semi-finals. During that league season, he scored nine goals in 23 games. This helped Porto win their fourth league title in a row. They also won the cup, completing a double victory.
Playing in France with Marseille
In June 2009, Lucho moved to France to play for Marseille. This transfer cost €18 million, which was the most expensive in the club's history at the time. He scored his first goal for Marseille on 19 September in a 4–2 win. He also scored in the Champions League against AC Milan and Real Madrid.
After the winter break, Lucho helped Marseille reach the final of the Coupe de la Ligue. He scored against Lille in the quarter-finals. On 28 February, he scored in a big 3–0 win against Paris Saint-Germain. In his first season, he played 32 matches and scored five goals. Marseille won both the league and the league cup that year.
Lucho scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season on 29 August 2010. On 3 November, he scored two goals in a huge 7–0 win against Žilina in the Champions League.
Lucho started in the 2011 Coupe de la Ligue final, which Marseille won 1–0 against Montpellier. He was a very important player for the team. He continued to play for Marseille in 2011–12. On 13 September, he scored the only goal in a Champions League group stage game against Olympiacos. He was named Player of the Match for his performance.
Back to Porto
On 30 January 2012, Lucho returned to Porto after playing 124 games for Marseille. He signed a contract until June 2014. He scored in his very first game back with Porto, a 2–0 win in the Taça da Liga on 5 February. He scored his first league goal since returning on 31 March.
In 2012–13, Porto won their third league title in a row. They had an unbeaten season, and Lucho was the captain. He scored a key goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win. In the Champions League, he scored in two wins against Dinamo Zagreb. One of these goals came on the day his father passed away.
Later Career and Retirement
On 27 January 2014, Lucho signed with Qatari club Al-Rayyan. A year and a half later, he returned to his home country and rejoined River Plate. He played as a substitute when River Plate won the Copa Libertadores finals in 2015. They also won the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship that year.
At 35 years old, Lucho joined Brazil's Athletico Paranaense on 16 September 2016. He played 160 games for them and scored ten goals. He won five trophies with the team, including the Copa Sudamericana in 2018.
Lucho González announced he was retiring from playing football on 27 May 2021. He was 40 years old.
International Career for Argentina
Lucho González first played for the Argentina national team on 31 January 2003. He represented Argentina in the 2004 Copa América, where he scored two goals. Argentina reached the final but lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
Lucho also played for the Argentina under-23 team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2006, he was chosen to play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Argentina reached the quarter-finals but lost to Germany.
Later, Lucho was part of the squad for the 2007 Copa América. Again, Argentina reached the final but lost to Brazil, this time 3–0.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Lucho González returned to his former club Athletico Paranaense in January 2022 as an assistant coach. In April, he briefly became the interim manager but decided to leave soon after.
On 24 August 2022, Lucho signed his first main coaching contract with Campeonato Brasileiro Série A team Ceará. He managed his first game on 4 September, which was a 1–1 draw. However, he was dismissed on 28 October after only one win in ten matches.
In July 2023, Lucho joined Internacional as an assistant coach. He helped the team reach the Copa Libertadores semi-finals. In December, his coaching staff's contracts were extended.
Lucho left Internacional in July 2024. He returned to Athletico Paranaense on 24 September, this time as the head coach. However, he was sacked on 10 December after the club was relegated in the year of its 100th birthday.
Honours and Achievements
Club Trophies
Huracán
- Primera B Nacional: 2000
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2003, Clausura 2004
- Copa Libertadores: 2015
- J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 2015
Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Taça de Portugal: 2005–06, 2008–09
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2012, 2013
Marseille
- Ligue 1: 2009–10
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011
Al-Rayyan
- Qatari Second Division: 2014–15
Athletico Paranaense
- Copa do Brasil: 2019
- Copa Sudamericana: 2018, 2021
- J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 2019
- Campeonato Paranaense: 2020
International Medals
Argentina Olympic Team
- Summer Olympic Games: Gold Medal 2004
- CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2004
Argentina National Team
- Copa América runner-up: 2004, 2007
Individual Awards
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2004
- South American Team of the Year: 2004
- Portuguese Golden Ball: 2009
- SJPF Player of the Month: October 2007
- FC Porto Player of the Year: 2006
- UNFP Player of the Month: April 2010
Images for kids
-
González lining up for Porto in 2013
-
González warming up for Marseille in 2010
-
González (in stripes) playing for Porto against Marseille in 2013
-
González after winning the 2011 Trophée des Champions
See also
In Spanish: Lucho González (futbolista) para niños
