Lucho González


Luis Óscar "Lucho" González is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Club Athletico Paranaense from Brazil. A versatile midfielder who is able to play in different positions but mainly in the centre, he is well known for his fierce shot, passing skills and hardworking style, being affectionately known as El Comandante due to his leadership skills.
After starting with Huracán and River Plate, he signed for Porto in 2005, going on to have two separate spells at the club and appear in more than 200 official games, winning nine major titles. He also played in France with Marseille.
An Argentine international on 45 occasions, González represented his country in the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.

Club career

Early years / Porto

Born in Buenos Aires, González began his career at Club Atlético Huracán at the age of 14, making his Primera División debut on 29 April 1999 in a 1–2 home loss against Racing Club de Avellaneda. Three years later he transferred to another side in his hometown, Club Atlético River Plate, where he was a very important first-team member in the conquest of back-to-back Clausura tournaments, contributing with 56 games and nine goals combined.
González's performances at River earned him a deal with Portugal's FC Porto in 2005, signing a five-year contract. In his first season he scored ten goals in 30 matches, including braces against Académica de Coimbra, F.C. Penafiel and Vitória de Guimarães, helping the northerners to the first of their four consecutive Primeira Liga titles.
At Porto, González eventually became team captain. In November 2006, he signed an improved five-year contract and, in August of the following year, the club paid €6.65 million to Global Soccer Agencies to achieve full ownership of the player, activating the clause by rejecting an offer from Everton.
Lucho remained a fan favorite at the Estádio do Dragão for the duration of his link. On 22 March 2009, he netted against C.F. Estrela da Amadora in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, whilst during the league campaign, he scored nine times in only 23 games to help Porto to the fourth title in a row.

Marseille

2009–10 season

In June 2009, González was sold to Olympique de Marseille in France for a fee of €18 million, with the possibility of an increase to €24 million depending on the player's performance. He scored his first official goal for his new club on 19 September, opening the scoring in a 4–2 home win against Montpellier HSC, and also found the net on 26 November, in the UEFA Champions League group stage draw against A.C. Milan at the San Siro. On 5 December, again in Ligue 1, he scored the 2–1 against OGC Nice in the 77th minute, in an eventual 3–1 triumph against the ten-men hosts.
On 8 December 2009, González scored against Real Madrid but also missed a penalty kick later in the game in an eventual 1–3 home loss in the Champions League, with the subsequent relegation to the UEFA Europa League, with the team ending their run in the competition at the round-of-16.
After the winter break, González netted in the 5–1 home thrashing of Valenciennes FC, opening the score in the 33rd minute. Previously, in late January 2010, he also helped Marseille reach the Coupe de la Ligue final, finding the net against Lille OSC in the quarter-finals. On 28 February 2010, he scored once in a 3–0 away win against Paris Saint-Germain FC, which left L'OM in fourth place; he finished his first season with 32 games and five goals, as the team eventually won the league/league cup double.

2010–11 season

González scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season on 29 August 2010, in a 1–1 away draw against FC Girondins de Bordeaux. A month later, he netted the winning goal against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, in a 2–1 home win. On 3 November, he grabbed a brace in a 7–0 away routing of MŠK Žilina, in the campaign's Champions League, as Marseille was eventually ousted in the last-16 by eventual finalists Manchester United.
On 12 February 2011, Lucho provided an assist for André-Pierre Gignac, helping his team defeat Sochaux 2–1 away from home. In Marseille's next game, he opened the score in a 2–1 win over AS Saint-Étienne.
On 11 March 2011, González scored the second goal in a 2–0 win against Stade Rennais FC, keeping the pressure on Lille in the title race. He assisted for Benoit Cheyrou's goal in a 1–0 away success over RC Lens early into the following month, and also started in the French League Cup final, won against Montpellier by the same result.
Due to his solid performances, González was linked with a transfer to Arsenal in England, in early May 2011. But he sought to allay these fears and show his commitment to the club by saying that "I don't know why there are so many things said about this at the moment. It annoys me a bit. At no time has it left my mouth that I wanted to leave or that I didn't feel good here. I have a contract with OM until 2013 and the people at the club seem happy with me."
On 8 May 2011, Marseille faced title challengers Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade de Gerland, and González scored in an eventual 2–3 loss, with his team eventually finishing second to champions Lille. After the season ended, chairman Jean-Claude Dassier confirmed that the player was seeking an exit from the club, amidst interest of several teams.

2011–12 season

Despite the constant speculation, González remained with Marseille for 2011–12. In the first matchday, he opened the scoring in the 38th minute against Sochaux, in an eventual 2–2 home draw. On 13 September, he netted the game's only goal at Olympiacos F.C. for the Champions League group stage, where he also earned Man of the match accolades.

Return to Porto

On 30 January 2012, after 119 official appearances for Marseille, González returned to Porto, signing until June 2014. He scored in his first game in his second spell, a 2–0 win against Vitória F.C. for the Taça da Liga.
On 31 March 2012, Lucho opened the scoring in a 2–0 home victory over S.C. Olhanense for his first league goal since returning.

Later years

On 27 January 2014, González signed with Qatari club Al Rayyan SC, initially until June. On 16 September 2016, after a second spell with River Plate, the 35-year-old joined Brazil's Club Athletico Paranaense.

International career

Under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, González made his first appearance with the Argentine national team on 31 January 2003 against Honduras. He went on to represent the nation in the 2004 Copa América, scoring two goals during the tournament as the country lost the final on penalties to Brazil.
González also played with the team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2006, he was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in which Argentina, managed by José Pekerman, lost to hosts Germany in the quarter-finals on penalties.
Subsequently, González was part of the Alfio Basile–led squad at 2007 Copa América, where the Albiceleste was again defeated by Brazil in the decisive match, now 3–0.

International goals

Honours

Club

Huracán
River Plate
Porto
Marseille
Athletico Paranaense
Argentina