Nicolás Lodeiro facts for kids
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Lodeiro with Uruguay in 2015
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 March 1989 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paysandú, Uruguay | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||
| Current club | Orlando City | ||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Barrio Obrero | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Nacional | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Nacional | 43 | (9) | ||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Ajax | 21 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Botafogo | 47 | (7) | ||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Corinthians | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Boca Juniors | 30 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 2016–2023 | Seattle Sounders FC | 191 | (41) | ||||||||||
| 2024– | Orlando City SC | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Uruguay U20 | 11 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Uruguay Olympic | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2009–2019 | Uruguay | 60 | (5) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Marcelo Nicolás Lodeiro Benítez (born on March 21, 1989), known as Nicolás Lodeiro, is a professional footballer from Uruguay. He plays as an attacking midfielder for the Major League Soccer club Orlando City SC.
Nicolás Lodeiro has played football in many countries. These include Uruguay, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, and the United States. He won the Eredivisie league title twice with Ajax. He also won two major trophies in 2015 with Boca Juniors. Lodeiro has also won titles with Nacional and Botafogo. In the United States, he won the 2016 and 2019 MLS Cup with Seattle Sounders FC.
Since 2009, Lodeiro has played for the Uruguay national team. He has played in 60 international matches. He took part in two FIFA World Cups and four Copa América tournaments. He also played in the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Uruguay finished fourth. He was also part of the teams that finished fourth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and won the 2011 Copa América.
Contents
Club Career
Early Days
Nicolás Lodeiro was born in 1989 in Paysandú, Uruguay. This city is close to Argentina. He started playing football in youth teams for a local club called Barrio Obrero. A scout named Daniel López noticed his talent. When Lodeiro was 14, he joined the youth team at Nacional Montevideo.
Playing for Nacional
Four years later, at 18, Lodeiro played his first game for Nacional's main team. This was on August 19, 2007. Later that year, he scored his first goal. People quickly saw that he was a rising star.
In 2009, Lodeiro really started to shine. He scored three goals and made several assists in the Copa Libertadores. This helped Nacional reach the semi-finals of the tournament. His great performance led to him being named one of the top scorers in the world by the IFFHS. He was considered one of the best young players in Uruguay.
Moving to Ajax
In January 2010, Lodeiro signed with Ajax in the Netherlands. He joined his friends and fellow Uruguayans, Bruno Silva and Luis Suárez, at the club. His first game for Ajax was on February 7, 2010. He scored his first goal for Ajax on March 25 in the KNVB Beker cup.
He got injured during the World Cup, so he didn't play much in the 2010-2011 season. However, he played 19 games the next season. He scored two goals in the league and one in the Champions League. He helped Ajax win their 31st league title.
Time at Botafogo
On July 20, 2012, Lodeiro joined Botafogo in Brazil. He signed a four-year contract. He was a key player when the team won the Campeonato Carioca in 2013. This win also helped Botafogo qualify for the 2014 Copa Libertadores. While playing for Botafogo, Lodeiro was part of Uruguay's teams for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Short Spell at Corinthians
On May 29, 2014, Lodeiro signed a four-year deal with Corinthians in Brazil. The transfer cost about R$4.5 million.
Joining Boca Juniors
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In 2015, Lodeiro moved to the famous Argentinian club Boca Juniors. In September 2015, he scored a goal against River Plate in the big derby match called the Superclásico. On November 4, 2015, Lodeiro scored a penalty in the 2015 Copa Argentina Final. This helped Boca beat Rosario Central 2–0 and win two major trophies that year.
Success with Seattle Sounders FC
In the summer of 2016, there were many rumors that Lodeiro would join Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. He talked about the move with the Sounders' general manager, Garth Lagerwey. His teammate Luis Suarez helped as a translator. Lodeiro said goodbye to Boca Juniors fans in July. He officially signed with the Sounders on July 27, 2016.
He played his first game for the Sounders on July 31, 2016. He played the whole game in a 1–1 draw against LA Galaxy. He touched the ball 124 times, which was a lot for the Sounders that season. He scored his first goal for the Sounders on August 14, 2016. It was in a 2–1 win against Real Salt Lake.
Lodeiro was very important to the team's success in the 2016 MLS Cup. He scored four goals and made eight assists in 13 regular season games. This helped Seattle reach the playoffs. In the playoffs, he scored four more goals in six games. He led the team to win the championship. In the MLS Cup Final against Toronto FC, the game ended 0–0. Lodeiro scored a penalty in the shootout. This helped the Sounders win their first MLS Cup. When Lodeiro joined, the Sounders were at the bottom of the league. But his skills helped the team turn their season around. He was named the MLS Newcomer of the Year for his great performances.
On November 10, 2019, Lodeiro made an assist for Víctor Rodríguez's goal. This was in a 3–1 win over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup Final.
In the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League Final, he scored two penalties in the first game. This was a 2–2 draw against UNAM. He scored another goal in the second game, a 3–0 win. His club won their first title in this competition.
On October 21, 2023, Lodeiro announced he would leave the Sounders. His contract ended at the end of the season. His departure was confirmed on December 12.
Joining Orlando City SC
On January 4, 2024, Lodeiro signed with Orlando City SC. He joined them as a free agent on a one-year contract. On February 27, Lodeiro scored his first goal for Orlando City. This was in a game against Cavalry FC in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup. He helped his team win 3–1. On March 23, Lodeiro scored his first regular season goal for Orlando City. This was in a 2–0 win over Austin FC. On May 11, Lodeiro made three assists in a 3–2 win over Philadelphia Union. He finished the season with two goals and thirteen assists. This tied him for the most assists for the club.
International Career
Youth Teams
In 2009, Lodeiro also played well for the Uruguay under-20 national team. He had great performances at a South American under-20 tournament. He scored three goals and helped Uruguay finish third. He also scored two goals in four matches at the FIFA under-20 tournament in Egypt.
Senior National Team
Lodeiro played his first game for the senior Uruguay team against Costa Rica. This was in a play-off game for the 2010 World Cup. He played in both games of the play-off. In the second game, he was named player of the match for Uruguay.
Lodeiro played for Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals. In Uruguay's first game against France, he was the first player to get a red card in the tournament.
Lodeiro scored his first international goal on June 23, 2011. It was in a 3–0 friendly win against Estonia. He was part of the Uruguay team that won the 2011 Copa América in Argentina.
He was also part of Uruguay's team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Lodeiro played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. Uruguay finished in fourth place. During the tournament, he scored in an 8–0 win over Tahiti on June 23.
Lodeiro was a member of the Uruguay team that played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He started two matches and came on as a substitute in another.
In May 2015, Lodeiro was chosen for Uruguay's team for the 2015 Copa América.
Lodeiro was part of the Uruguay team that played in the 2016 Copa América Centenario in the United States. He started two matches and came on as a substitute in one. He made one assist in total.
In March 2019, Lodeiro was included in Uruguay's team for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. On June 16, he scored the first goal in a 4–0 win over Ecuador. This was Uruguay's 400th goal in the competition. Uruguay was knocked out by Peru in the quarter-finals.
Style of Play
Nicolás Lodeiro is a small, energetic, and skilled midfielder. He is known for being able to get past defenders because of his speed and great ball control. When he was younger, people compared him to his countryman Enzo Francescoli. Some even called him "the Uruguayan Messi."
He also has good vision and can create chances for his teammates. He is a versatile playmaker, meaning he can play in different attacking roles. He often plays as an attacking midfielder, where he can drop back to get the ball and control the game with his passes. He also likes to move to the sides of the field to help his team attack. He can play as a winger or even a second striker.
Lodeiro is a very active player. He works hard to defend and mark opponents. His fitness and movement help him press opposing players. He can also create space for his teammates or make runs into the penalty area. Lodeiro is naturally left-footed. He is known for his powerful and accurate shots with his left foot. He can score goals as well as create them. He is also good at taking free kicks and other set pieces.
Personal Life
In February 2018, Lodeiro received a U.S. green card. This means he is considered a local player for MLS teams.
Honours
Nacional
- Primera División: 2008–09
- Torneo Apertura: 2008, 2009
- Liguilla: 2008
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2010–11, 2011–12
- KNVB Cup: 2009–10
Botafogo
- Campeonato Carioca: 2013
Boca Juniors
- Primera División: 2015
- Copa Argentina: 2014–15
Seattle Sounders FC
- MLS Cup: 2016, 2019
- CONCACAF Champions League: 2022
Uruguay
Individual
- MLS Newcomer of the Year: 2016
- CONCACAF Champions League Best XI: 2018, 2022
- MLS All-Star: 2019
- MLS Best XI: 2020
- MLS top assist provider: 2020
See also
In Spanish: Nicolás Lodeiro para niños
