Lisandro López

Lisandro López (born 2 March 1983), sometimes known as simply Lisandro, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Racing Club de Avellaneda. Primarily a striker, he is also capable of playing on the wings.[1]

Lisandro López
López playing for Lyon in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth (1983-03-02) 2 March 1983
Place of birth Rafael Obligado, Argentina
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s) Striker / Winger
Club information
Current team
 Racing Club
Number 15
Youth career
2001–2003 Racing Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 Racing Club 71 (26)
2005–2009 Porto 106 (48)
2009–2013 Lyon 119 (59)
2013–2015 Al-Gharafa 40 (13)
2015 Internacional 24 (4)
2016– Racing Club 95 (39)
National team
2005–2009 Argentina 7 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 February 2020

After starting out at Racing Club in 2003, he spent four years each with Porto in Portugal and Lyon in France, winning eight major titles between the two teams. He also played professionally in Qatar and Brazil.

López won seven caps for Argentina, over four years.

Club career

Racing Club

López was born in the small town of Rafael Obligado, in Buenos Aires Province's vast agricultural interior region.[2] He arrived at Racing Club de Avellaneda at the age of 18 and, just two years later, made his Argentine Primera División debut in the 2003 Clausura;[2] also in the side was a young Diego Milito leading the attack, and his subsequent exit to Genoa C.F.C. opened the doors to a regular first-team spot which López made his own in 2004.[2]

López was crowned top scorer in the 2004 Apertura tournament, going on to score 26 goals in 71 league appearances and over 30 across all competitions.[3][2] During his spell at the Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón, he was nicknamed Licha.[4][5][6]

Porto

In April 2005, López signed for FC Porto for a transfer fee of €2.3 million, at the same time of compatriot Lucho González. His agents, Global Soccer Agencies (later renamed Rio Football Services),[7] retained 50% of the player's rights[8][9]– in the same transfer window, Luís Fabiano, whose rights were owned by GSA's sister company, "Global Soccer Investments" (75%), left. He scored seven Primeira Liga goals in his first season in 26 games, repeating the feat the following campaign while appearing in one match less;[10] he also found the net in the 1–1 home draw against Rangers in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League,[11] adding two to help defeat Hamburger SV (also in that competition but in the following edition, 4–1 home win).[12]

In 2007–08, as Porto were crowned league champions for the third consecutive time, López was the competition's top scorer, scoring 24 goals in 27 games[10] and adding three in the season's Champions League. On 20 April 2008, he netted twice – also being booked – in a 2–0 home win against S.L. Benfica;[13] an offer from FC Zenit St. Petersburg was rejected midway through the campaign, and the Portuguese club eventually bought the remaining economic rights of the player for €4.4 million.[14]

López only scored ten goals in 2008–09, but finished fourth in the scoring list in the Champions League with six, only trailing Lionel Messi, Steven Gerrard and Miroslav Klose.[15] Porto wrapped up the season with the conquest of the Taça de Portugal, and he netted the game's only goal in a victory over F.C. Paços de Ferreira.[16]

Lyon
López during a Champions League match for Lyon in April 2010

After the sale of Karim Benzema to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, López replaced him at Olympique Lyonnais, being transferred for a fee of €24 million, plus a €4 million bonus subject to performances.[17] On 8 August, he scored on his Ligue 1 debut from a last-minute free-kick at Le Mans FC, in a 2–2 draw. He added a hat-trick against R.S.C. Anderlecht in the second leg of the Champions League qualifying round, in an eventual 8–2 aggregate win.[1]

On 4 November 2009, López scored a late and decisive equaliser in a group game against Liverpool to ensure Lyon qualified for the knockout stage.[18] Four days later he netted twice in three minutes in a 5–5 league draw to Olympique de Marseille,[19] adding a further three the following month, against Lille OSC – the visitors led 3–1 at half-time, but were eventually defeated 3–4.[20]

On 30 March 2010, López scored twice in the 3–1 home victory against FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the Champions League quarter-finals (3–2 aggregate win), but missed the second leg due to suspension.[21] He continued this good form with a goal in Lyon's 2–1 away defeat of Stade Rennais FC, four days later.[22]

On the final day of the season, López assisted Miralem Pjanić in a 2–0 home win against Le Mans, a result which placed Lyon second in the league table, with the subsequent direct Champions League qualification.[23] On 9 May 2010, he was named Ligue 1 Footballer of the Year.[24]

On 2 October 2010, López scored in a 3–2 away win over AS Nancy for Lyon's second win of the campaign.[25] He added two in the next ligue fixture – one from a penalty kick – a 3–1 defeat of Lille at the Stade de Gerland.[26] On 20 October he found the net again, against Benfica in a 2–0 Champions League group stage win.[27]

After a one-month spell without a goal, López finally added to his account by grabbing a last-minute goal in a 3–1 away win against RC Lens.[28] He added two in another away fixture, against Montpellier HSC (2–1, the second coming in the fifth minute of stoppage time).[29] Three days later Lyon, needing a point to secure passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League, played host to Hapoel Tel Aviv FC, and he opened the scoring in the 62nd minute of an eventual 2–2 home draw.[30]

López scored again in the next match for L'OL in a 2–0 win over Toulouse FC, putting them up to second place in the table.[31] He also found the net in the following game, a 1–1 draw against title holders Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome.[32]

On 6 March 2011, after six scoreless appearances, López scored a hat-trick in the 5–0 thrashing of AC Arles-Avignon.[33] In the 27th matchday he continued his run, opening the scoring in a 2–0 away win against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.[34] On 10 April, he netted in the 90th minute in a 3–0 home win over Lens[35] and found the net in the following two home fixtures (both 3–2 wins), against Montpellier[36] and Marseille,[37] with his team eventually finishing in third position; on the final day of the season he scored a goal in the 2–0 win over AS Monaco FC, condemning the opposition to their first relegation in 35 years.[38]

López started 2011–12 in fine form, scoring in the first two games, his first coming in the early stages of a 3–1 win at OGC Nice.[39] The following weekend, against newly promoted AC Ajaccio, he hit the post twice in the first ten minutes and had several shots saved by Guillermo Ochoa, but was able to salvage a point for new coach Rémi Garde on his home debut with an excellent header in the 83rd minute.[40]

On 8 January 2012, López scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win at AS Lyon Duchère for the Coupe de France.[41] Three days later, he netted the 2–1 winner against Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue, in the 64th minute;[42] on the 22nd, in his 100th competitive match for Lyon, he scored against Vendée Luçon Football for the French Cup round-of-32.[43]

On 28 April 2012, López helped Lyon grab victory in the French Cup final, scoring the game's only goal against US Quevilly.[44] In late April of the following year, he announced he was leaving the club in the summer transfer window,[45] with Garde commenting:

I also wanted to make a huge tribute to Licha (López). I will not forget what he did.[46]

Al-Gharafa / Internacional

On 8 August 2013, López signed for Qatari club Al-Gharafa Sports Club, for a fee of €7.2 million.[47] In late February 2015 he changed clubs and countries again, joining Brazil's Sport Club Internacional on a two-year deal.[48][49]

Return to Racing

On 1 January 2016, two months shy of his 33rd birthday, López returned to Racing Club on a free transfer which had been agreed the previous month.[50] In the 2018–19 season, he scored 17 league goals to lead the scoring charts and help his team win the national championship for the 18th time in their history.[51]

International career

In 2005, López was called up to the Argentina national team by José Pékerman, and he made his debut against Mexico on 10 March in a 1–1 friendly draw.[52] After fantastic Porto performances, he was summoned three years later by Alfio Basile for exhibition games with Egypt, Mexico, the United States[53] and Belarus.

On 12 August 2009, López scored one goal in Argentina's 3–2 victory over Russia at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Moscow.[54][55] Nine days later, he was called by national team boss Diego Maradona for the decisive matches against Brazil and Paraguay for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, but was overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.[56]

Career statistics
As of 3 August 2019[57]

Club
Club Season League Cup League cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Racing Club 2002–03 30–––30
2003–04 318–––318
2004–05 3718–––3718
Total 7126–––7126
Porto 2005–06 26710–21298
2006–07 25700–833310
2007–08 27244000833927
2008–09 281041001064217
Total 106489100281314362
Lyon 2009–10 331520221274924
2010–11 27172010523519
2011–12 28166731614325
2012–13 31111110623914
2013–14 0000002020
Total 1195911873311216882
Al-Gharafa 2013–14 2393152003112
2014–15 174000000174
Total 40133152004816
Internacional 2015 2442172633910
Racing Club 2016 1243210942510
2016–17 197213060257
2017–18 207001081288
2018–19 24171021002718
2019–20 2000000020
Total 6735637123510543
Career total 42718531142688633572240

    International goals
    As of 12 August 2009 (Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each López goal)
    #DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    112 August 2009Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia Russia2–13–2Friendly[54]

    Honours

    Club

    Porto

    Lyon

    Internacional

    Racing Club

    Individual

    References
    1. "Lisandro fills Benzema void". ESPN Soccernet. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
    2. Edwards, Daniel (30 March 2019). "Lyon legend Lisandro Lopez shows romance isn't dead in football with Racing title tilt". Goal. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
    3. Zuberman, Nicolás (1 March 2019). "El abanderado de Racing: 36 momentos de Lisandro López en su cumpleaños N° 36" [Racing's spearhead: 36 Lisandro López moments in his birthday N° 36]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    4. "Lisandro López está a un paso de Porto" [Lisandro López close to Porto]. La Nación (in Spanish). 11 April 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    5. Panno, Juan José (28 November 2016). "Racing armó su fiesta de la mano del Licha" [Racing got their party started courtesy of Licha]. Página/12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    6. Avellaneda, Daniel (1 April 2019). "Lisandro López, el héroe entre los héroes" [Lisandro López, hero among heroes]. Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    7. Relatório e contas consolidado 1º Semestre 2007/2008 (Consolidated report and finance 1º Semester); Portuguese Securities Market Commission, 29 February 2008 (in Portuguese)
    8. "Porto look forward with López". UEFA. 15 April 2005. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
    9. Facto relevante (Relevant fact) Archived 28 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine; FC Porto, 15 April 2005 (in Portuguese)
    10. Assunção, Manuel (28 April 2009). "O Lisandro López goleador no campeonato regressou quando o FC Porto mais precisa" [The Lisandro López who scores in league returned when FC Porto need the most]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    11. "Porto 1–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
    12. Arnhold, Matthias. "The UEFA Champions League 2006/07 – Hamburger SV (GER)". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
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    14. Comunicado (Announcement) Archived 28 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine; FC Porto, 18 January 2008 (in Portuguese)
    15. "Messi sweeps up goalscoring honours". UEFA. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
    16. Travassos, Nuno (31 May 2009). "Taça de Portugal: F.C. Porto-P. Ferreira, 1–0 (crónica)" [Portuguese Cup: F.C. Porto-P. Ferreira, 1–0 (match report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
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    30. Lacazette's Lyon leveller denies Hapoel; UEFA, 7 December 2010
    31. Lyon move up to third; ESPN Soccernet, 12 December 2010
    32. Lyon miss big chance; ESPN Soccernet, 19 December 2010
    33. Lisandro hat-trick inspires Lyon; ESPN Soccernet, 6 March 2011
    34. FC Sochaux 0 vs 2 O. Lyon; Goal, 12 March 2011
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    37. Lyon 3–2 Marseille; ESPN Soccernet, 8 May 2011
    38. First XI: Fall from grace; ESPN Soccernet, 7 July 2011
    39. Garde starts Lyon reign with impressive win; ESPN Soccernet, 6 August 2011
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