Maxi López facts for kids
López with Barcelona in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 April 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2001 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2004 | River Plate | 70 | (16) |
| 2005–2007 | Barcelona | 14 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Mallorca (loan) | 29 | (3) |
| 2007–2009 | FC Moscow | 22 | (9) |
| 2009 | → Grêmio (loan) | 25 | (12) |
| 2010–2014 | Catania | 78 | (23) |
| 2012 | → Milan (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 17 | (4) |
| 2014 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Chievo | 13 | (1) |
| 2015–2017 | Torino | 60 | (14) |
| 2017–2018 | Udinese | 28 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Vasco da Gama | 32 | (10) |
| 2019–2020 | Crotone | 14 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Sambenedettese | 23 | (3) |
| Total | 430 | (97) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Argentina U17 | 5 | (3) |
| 2001–2004 | Argentina U20 | 29 | (8) |
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Maximiliano Gastón López (born on April 3, 1984) is a former professional footballer from Argentina. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly focused on scoring goals. Maxi López has both an Argentine and an Italian passport. People called him El Rubio (meaning "The Blonde") and La Gallina de Oro (meaning "The Golden Hen").
Maxi López started his career at River Plate in Argentina. He spent most of his playing time in Italy. There, he played 215 games in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league. He scored 46 goals for teams like Catania, AC Milan, Sampdoria, Chievo, Torino, and Udinese. He also played in Spain for Barcelona and Mallorca. With Barcelona, he won both the La Liga (Spanish league) and the UEFA Champions League in 2006. He also played for Grêmio and Vasco da Gama in Brazil's top league, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
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Club Career Highlights
Starting at River Plate
Maxi López began his football journey in 1997 with River Plate in Argentina. On August 19, 2001, when he was 17, he played his first senior game. This was against Talleres de Córdoba. He quickly became a key striker for River Plate. The club won the Torneo Clausura (a championship) three times: in 2002, 2003, and 2004. During his time at River Plate, he played 56 games and scored 13 goals.
Playing for Barcelona
In January 2005, Barcelona signed Maxi López. They paid €6.2 million for him because their striker Henrik Larsson was injured. On February 23, he made his UEFA Champions League debut. He came into the game as a substitute and scored an equalizer against Chelsea just four minutes later. This was his first shot for the club. His only other goal for Barcelona was in a Copa del Rey match against Zamora in January 2006. He played 14 league games for Barcelona but found it hard to get a regular spot in the first team.
Time at Mallorca, Moscow, and Grêmio
For the 2006–07 season, Maxi López moved to Mallorca on loan. He scored 3 goals in 25 matches there. In the summer of 2007, he returned to Barcelona. Soon after, he was sold to FC Moscow in Russia for €2 million. With FC Moscow, he played 22 league games and scored 9 goals.
On February 13, 2009, Maxi López joined the Brazilian club Grêmio on a one-year loan. He played his first game for them the next month. His first goal for Grêmio was on March 18, 2009. He scored four goals in the 2009 Copa Libertadores and the winning goal in a big local derby match.
Success with Catania
On January 20, 2010, Maxi López moved to Catania in Italy for €3 million. He signed a contract until June 2013. He played his first Serie A game on January 31. In his next match, he scored his first goal for Catania against Lazio. On April 3, he scored two goals in the Sicilian derby against Palermo. He finished that season with 11 goals in 17 games, helping Catania stay in Serie A.
In the next season, he scored his first goal on September 22, 2010. By the end of that season, he had scored 8 goals in 35 games. For the 2011–12 season, he scored his first goal from a penalty on September 18, 2011.
Loan to AC Milan
On January 27, 2012, Maxi López was loaned to AC Milan for €1.5 million. He could have been bought for €8 million later. He chose the number 21 shirt. He scored his first goal for Milan on February 11, 2012, against Udinese. He also helped Stephan El Shaarawy score the winning goal in that game. However, Milan decided not to buy him, so he went back to Catania.
Loan to Sampdoria
On July 11, Maxi López joined Sampdoria on a loan deal from Catania for a season. He returned to Catania for the start of the 2013–14 season. Then, on January 28, 2014, he rejoined Sampdoria on loan again. He scored a winning goal in his first game back for Sampdoria on February 3, 2014.
Time at Chievo
On June 30, 2014, Maxi López signed a one-year contract with Chievo. He played his first game on August 30 against Juventus. In his second match, on September 14, he scored the only goal as Chievo beat Napoli.
Playing for Torino
On January 13, 2015, Maxi López joined Torino. He played his first game the next day. On January 18, he scored his first goal for Torino. On February 19, he scored two goals in the UEFA Europa League. This meant he had scored in five different leagues (Argentina, Spain, Russia, Brazil, and Italy) and in all major international club competitions. He scored again in the return leg in Spain and later for Torino in Serie A. On May 17, he scored two goals against his former club Chievo. In November 2015, he signed a new contract with Torino until 2018.
Moving to Vasco da Gama
On July 14, 2018, Maxi López joined Vasco da Gama in Brazil. He signed an 18-month contract. He played his first game against São Paulo. On August 27, he scored his first goal for Vasco and also made two assists. He was named man of the match. He quickly became a favorite among the fans.
Return to Italy
On August 23, 2019, Maxi López returned to Italy to play for Crotone in Serie B. He signed a one-year contract. On August 10, 2020, he signed a one-year contract with Sambenedettese in Serie C.
International Career
Maxi López played for Argentina's national youth teams. He played for the under-15, under-17, and under-20 teams. He also took part in the 2003 South American Youth Football Championship. He could have played for either Argentina or Italy because he has both citizenships. He never played for either country's senior national team. In July 2010, he said he might accept an invitation to play for Italy.
International Goals for Argentina U17
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 September 2001 | Couva, Trinidad & Tobago |  Burkina Faso |
2–2 | 2–2 | 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship |
| 2. | 17 September 2001 | Marabella, Trinidad & Tobago |  Oman |
1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 3. | 20 September 2001 | Couva, Trinidad & Tobago |  Spain |
2–2 | 4–2 |
Personal Life
Maxi López was married to Argentine model Wanda Nara from 2008 to 2013. They have three sons: Valentino Gastón (born 2009), Constantino (born 2010), and Benedicto (born 2012).
Since February 14, 2014, he has been in a relationship with Swedish model Daniela Christiansson. They got engaged in May 2021. On September 26, 2022, they announced they were expecting a baby. On March 31, 2023, their daughter Elle was born.
Maxi López became a funny internet meme in Argentina. People made jokes and satirical blogs about him. He said he was "okay" with this unexpected attention.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2001–02 | Primera División | 17 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2002–03 | Primera División | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2003–04 | Primera División | 17 | 6 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 25 | 7 | |||
| 2004–05 | Primera División | 16 | 5 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 19 | 7 | |||
| Total | 56 | 13 | — | 14 | 3 | — | 70 | 16 | ||||
| Barcelona | 2004–05 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| Mallorca (loan) | 2006–07 | La Liga | 29 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 5 | ||
| FC Moscow | 2007 | Russian Premier League | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | 9 | 6 | |||
| 2008 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 3 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Total | 22 | 9 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 9 | ||||
| Grêmio (loan) | 2009 | Série A | 25 | 12 | — | 9 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 17 | |
| Catania | 2009–10 | Serie A | 17 | 11 | — | — | — | 17 | 11 | |||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 35 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 10 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 5 | |||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 78 | 23 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 83 | 27 | ||||
| Milan (loan) | 2011–12 | Serie A | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | |
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2012–13 | Serie A | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 6 | ||||
| Chievo | 2014–15 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Torino | 2014–15 | Serie A | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 23 | 11 | |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 26 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 6 | |||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 3 | |||
| Total | 60 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | 70 | 20 | |||
| Udinese | 2017–18 | Serie A | 28!!2 | 1 | 4 | — | — | 29 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 361 | 83 | 20 | 16 | 32 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 420 | 111 | ||
Honors and Achievements
River Plate
- Torneo Clausura: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04
Barcelona
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
- La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercopa de España: 2005
Vasco da Gama
- Taça Guanabara: 2019
Argentina U20
- Pan American Games: 2003 (Gold Medal)
Individual Awards
- Coppa Italia top scorer: 2017–18 (4 goals)
See also
In Spanish: Maxi López para niños
