Cristian Lema


Cristian Franco Lema is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Benfica as a centre-back.

Club career

Born in Puerto Madryn, Lema started his football career aged 8 at hometown club Guillermo Brown. He debuted for their senior team in 2007 and left the club in 2009.
A year later, Lema joined Newell's Old Boys and made his Argentine Primera División debut in a 0–0 home draw to Godoy Cruz in November. After playing 12 matches with the former side, he moved on loan to Tigre in June 2011, and there he played 11 matches, scoring one goal. In July 2012, aged 22, he was loaned out to Quilmes, with whom he would play 40 matches and score 2 goals before moving to Belgrano in 2014. In his four-year spell with the latter, he became the club's defender with the most league goals ever, 16 in 123 matches. Moreover, he debuted in Copa Sudamericana in 2015.
In June 2018, Lema moved to Portugal and signed a five-year contract with S.L. Benfica. In February 2019, after playing only two matches for the Lisbon side in October, he was loaned to Uruguayan club Peñarol until June 2019, with option to buy. Afterwards, he was loaned out to Newell's Old Boys for 2019–20.

Honours

Benfica