.JPG) López playing forLyon in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1983-03-02)2 March 1983 (age 42)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Rafael Obligado, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker,winger | ||
| 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) |
| 2016–2021 | Racing Club | 101 | (40) |
| 2021 | Atlanta United | 2 | (0) |
| 2021 | Racing Club | 18 | (3) |
| 2022–2024 | Sarmiento | 91 | (13) |
| Total | 572 | (206) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Argentina | 7 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Lisandro López (born 2 March 1983), sometimes known as simplyLisandro, is an Argentine former professionalfootballer. Primarily astriker, he was also capable of playing on thewings.[2]
After starting out atRacing Club in 2003, he spent four years each withPorto in Portugal andLyon in France, winning eight major titles between the two teams. He also played professionally in Qatar, Brazil and the United States, before returning to Argentina.
López won sevencaps for theArgentina national team in four years, having made his debut in 2005.
López was born in the small town ofRafael Obligado, inBuenos Aires Province's vast agricultural interior region.[3] He arrived atRacing Club at the age of 18 and, just two years later, made hisArgentine Primera División debut in the2003 Clausura;[3] also in the side was a youngDiego Milito leading the attack, and his subsequent exit toGenoa opened the doors to a regular first-team spot which López made his own in 2004.[3]
López was crowned top scorer in the2004 Apertura tournament, going on to score 26 goals in 71 league appearances and over 30 in all competitions.[4][3] During his spell atEl Cilindro, he was nicknamedLicha.[5][6][7]
In April 2005, López signed forPorto for a transfer fee of€2.3 million, at the same time of compatriotLucho González. His agents, Global Soccer Agencies (later renamed Rio Football Services),[8] retained 50% of the player's rights[9][10]– in the sametransfer window,Luís Fabiano, whose rights were owned by GSA's sister company, "Global Soccer Investments" (75%), left. He scored sevenPrimeira Liga goals in hisfirst season in 26 games, repeating the featthe following campaign while appearing in one match less.[11] He also found the net in the 1–1 home draw againstRangers in the2005–06 UEFA Champions League,[12] adding two to help defeatHamburger SV (also inthat competition but inthe following edition, 4–1 home win).[13]
In2007–08, as the side were crowned league champions for the third consecutive time, López was the competition's top scorer, scoring 24 goals in 27 games[11] and adding three inthe season's Champions League. On 20 April 2008, he netted twice – also beingbooked – in a 2–0 home win againstBenfica;[14] an offer fromZenit Saint Petersburg was rejected midway through the campaign, and the Portuguese club eventually bought the remaining economic rights of the player for €4.4 million.[15]
López only scored ten goals in2008–09, but finished fourth in the scoring list in theChampions League with six, only trailingLionel Messi,Steven Gerrard andMiroslav Klose.[16] Porto wrapped up the season with theconquest of theTaça de Portugal, and he netted the game's only goal in a victory overPaços de Ferreira.[17]
After the sale ofKarim Benzema toReal Madrid in the summer of 2009, López replaced him atLyon, being transferred for a fee of €24 million, plus a €4 million bonus subject to performances.[18] On 8 August, he scored on hisLigue 1 debut from alast-minutefree kick atLe Mans, in a 2–2 draw. He added ahat-trick againstAnderlecht in the second leg of theChampions League qualifying round, in an eventual 8–2 aggregate win.[2]
On 4 November 2009, López scored a late and decisive equaliser in a group game againstLiverpool to ensure qualification for theknockout stage.[19] Four days later he netted twice in three minutes in a 5–5 league draw withMarseille,[20] adding a further three the following month, againstLille; the visitors led 3–1 athalf-time, but were eventually defeated 4–3.[21]
On 30 March 2010, López scored twice in the 3–1 home victory againstBordeaux in the Champions League quarter-finals (3–2 aggregate win), but missed the second leg due to suspension.[22] He continued this good form with a goal in Lyon's 2–1 away defeat ofRennes, four days later.[23]
On the final day ofthe season, LópezassistedMiralem Pjanić in a 2–0 home win against Le Mans, a result which placed his team second in the league table, with the subsequentdirect Champions League qualification.[24] On 9 May 2010, he was namedLigue 1 Footballer of the Year.[25]
López scored in a 3–2 away win overNancy on 2 October 2010, Lyon's second ofthe campaign.[26] He added two in the next ligue fixture – one from apenalty kick – a 3–1 defeat of Lille at theStade de Gerland.[27] On 20 October he found the net again, against Benfica in a 2–0 Champions League group stage win.[28]
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 againstLens in November 2010.[29] He added two in another away fixture, againstMontpellier (2–1, the second coming in the fifth minute of stoppage time).[30] Three days later Lyon, needing a point to secure passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League, played host toHapoel Tel Aviv, and he opened the scoring in the 62nd minute of an eventual 2–2 home draw.[31]
López scored again in the next match for OL in a 2–0 win overToulouse, putting them up to second place in the table.[32] He also found the net in the following game, a 1–1 draw against title holders Marseille at theStade Vélodrome.[33]
On 6 March 2011, after six scoreless appearances, López scored a hat-trick in the 5–0 thrashing ofArles-Avignon.[34] In the 27th matchday he continued his run, opening the scoring in a 2–0 away win againstSochaux.[35] On 10 April, he netted in the 90th minute in a 3–0 home win over Lens[36] and found the net in the following two home fixtures (both 3–2 wins), against Montpellier[37] and Marseille,[38] with the side eventually finishing in third position. On the final day of the season he scored a goal in the 2–0 victory againstMonaco, condemning the opposition to their first relegation in 35 years.[39]
López started2011–12 in fine form, scoring in the first two games, his first coming in the early stages of a 3–1 win atNice.[40] The following weekend, against newly promotedAjaccio, he hit the post twice in the first ten minutes and had several shots saved byGuillermo Ochoa, but was able to salvage a point for new coachRémi Garde on his home debut with a header in the 83rd minute.[41]
On 8 January 2012, López scored a hat-trick in a3–1 win atLyon-Duchère in theCoupe de France.[42] Three days later, he netted the2–1 winner against Lille in theCoupe de la Ligue, in the 64th minute.[43] On the 22nd, in his 100th competitive match for Lyon, he scored againstLuçon in the French Cupround of 32.[44]
On 28 April 2012, López helped grab victory in theFrench Cup final, scoring the game's only goal againstQuevilly.[45] In late April of the following year, he announced he was leaving the club in the summer transfer window,[46] with Garde commenting:
I also wanted to make a huge tribute to Licha (López). I will not forget what he did.[47]
On 8 August 2013, López signed forQatari clubAl-Gharafa for a fee of €7.2 million.[48] In late February 2015 he changed countries again, joining Brazil'sInternacional on a two-year deal.[49][50]
On 1 January 2016, two months shy of his 33rd birthday, López returned to Racing Club on afree transfer which had been agreed the previous month.[51] In the2018–19 season, he scored 17 league goals to lead the individual charts and help his team win the national championship for the 18th time in their history.[52]
On 25 January 2021, López joinedMajor League Soccer clubAtlanta United.[53] After four appearances in league and continental competitions, he terminated his contract by mutual consent following the death of his father.[54]
López returned to Racing for a third stint on 22 June 2021, signing a one-year deal with the option of ending it after six months.[55] On 29 November, the 38-year-old announced that he would retire after the match againstGodoy Cruz the following month.[56][57] One month later, however, he went back on his word and agreed to a one-year contract withSarmiento.[58]
López scored on his debut on 10 February 2022, in a 1–0 home victory overAtlético Tucumán in thegroup stage of theCopa de la Liga Profesional.[59] He retired for a second and final time in December 2024.[60]
In 2005, López was called up to theArgentina national team byJosé Pékerman, and he made his debut againstMexico on 10 March in a 1–1friendly draw.[61] After solid Porto performances, he was summoned three years later byAlfio Basile for exhibition games withEgypt,Mexico, theUnited States[62] andBelarus.
On 12 August 2009, López scored one goal in Argentina's 3–2 victory overRussia at theLokomotiv Stadium inMoscow.[63][64] Nine days later, he was called by national team bossDiego Maradona for the decisive matches againstBrazil andParaguay for the2010 FIFA World Cupqualification, but was overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.[65]
López is ofChilean descent through his mother.[66]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Racing Club | 2002–03 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2003–04 | 31 | 8 | — | — | — | 31 | 8 | |||||||
| 2004–05 | 37 | 18 | — | — | — | 37 | 18 | |||||||
| Total | 71 | 26 | — | — | — | 71 | 26 | |||||||
| Porto | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 1 | — | 29 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 8[c] | 3 | 1[d] | 0 | 34 | 10 | |||
| 2007–08 | 27 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[c] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 27 | ||
| 2008–09 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10[c] | 6 | 1[d] | 0 | 43 | 17 | ||
| Total | 106 | 48 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 145 | 62 | ||
| Lyon | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12[c] | 7 | — | 49 | 24 | |
| 2010–11 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 2 | — | 35 | 19 | |||
| 2011–12 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 6[c] | 1 | — | 43 | 25 | |||
| 2012–13 | 31 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 14 | ||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 119 | 59 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 82 | ||
| Al-Gharafa | 2013–14 | Qatar Stars League | 23 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 48 | 16 | ||||
| Internacional | 2015 | Série A | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 6[f] | 3 | 7[g] | 2 | 39 | 10 | |
| Racing Club | 2016 | Primera División | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9[f] | 4 | — | 25 | 10 | |
| 2016–17 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6[h] | 0 | — | 30 | 8 | |||
| 2017–18 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[f] | 1 | — | 29 | 8 | |||
| 2018–19 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 18 | |||
| 2019–20 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | — | 28 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Total | 101 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 5 | — | 145 | 49 | |||
| Atlanta United | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2[i] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Racing Club | 2021 | Primera División | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| Sarmiento | 2022 | Primera División | 34 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| 2023 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||||
| 2024 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 3 | |||||
| Career total | 572 | 206 | 35 | 15 | 19 | 6 | 98 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 733 | 262 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 August 2009 | Lokomotiv Stadium,Moscow, Russia |  Russia | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly[63] |
Porto
Lyon
Internacional
Racing Club
Individual
