Lucas Torreira
Torreira with Arsenal in 2019
Personal information
Full name Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996[2]
Place of birth Fray Bentos, Uruguay[3]
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Galatasaray
Number 34
Youth career
2010–2013 18 de Julio
2013 Montevideo Wanderers
2013–2014 Pescara
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Pescara 5 (0)
2015–2018 Sampdoria 71 (4)
2015–2016 → Pescara (loan) 29 (4)
2018–2022 Arsenal 63 (3)
2020–2021 → Atlético Madrid (loan) 19 (1)
2021–2022 → Fiorentina (loan) 31 (5)
2022– Galatasaray 31 (0)
International career‡
2018– Uruguay 40 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:45, 4 June 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 September 2022

Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlukas toˈrejɾa]; born 11 February 1996) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Uruguay national team.

Club career

Early career

Torreira started his youth football career at hometown club I.A. 18 de Julio of Fray Bentos. In 2013, at age 16, he joined Montevideo Wanderers' youth team, before moving to Italy where he joined Pescara's youth team in January 2015.[4]

Torreira playing for Pescara in 2014

Pescara

Before the 2014–15 season, Torreira was called up for Pescara's first team and, on 25 October 2014, he sat on the bench for the first time. He made his senior debut in Serie B on 16 May 2015 against Varese, playing the game as a starter. He played 58 minutes before being replaced by Matteo Politano.

Sampdoria

On 1 July 2015, Torreira was transferred to Sampdoria for €1.5 million, but he remained with Pescara on loan for the 2015–16 season to gain first-team experience.[5] On 2 July, his loan to Pescara became official.[6] On 9 August 2015, Torreira scored his first professional goal against F.C. Südtirol in the 2015–16 Coppa Italia.

After the Pescara loan ended, Torreira returned to Sampdoria on 1 July 2016. On 21 August 2016, Torreira made his Serie A debut in their opening game against Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.[7] He started the game and played the entire match.

He became a regular for Sampdoria in the 2016–17 season, and continued showing his importance to the team in the 2017–18 season; scoring vital goals, including the second goal in Sampdoria's 3–2 win over Juventus in November.[8]

Arsenal

On 10 July 2018, Torreira joined English club Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £26 million.[9] Torreira was given the number 11 shirt, previously worn by Mesut Özil, who took the vacant number 10 following the departure of Jack Wilshere.[10]

2018–19: Debut season, European runner-up

Torreira made his Premier League debut on 12 August, coming on as a substitute on the 70th minute in a 2–0 defeat to Manchester City.[11] Torreira registered his first assist of the season, by setting up Alexandre Lacazette's winning goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City.[12] Torreira made his full-debut and his Europa League debut for Arsenal in the 4–2 win over FC Vorskla Poltava on 2 September, before being replaced in the 57th minute by Matteo Guendouzi.[13] Torreira's performance in Arsenal's 1–1 draw with Liverpool drew particularly high praise from fans and pundits alike, picking up the man-of-the-match award.[14] On 2 December, Torreira scored his first Arsenal goal and picked up another man-of-the-match award against Tottenham Hotspur when he latched on to a pass from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to slot the ball past Hugo Lloris to give Arsenal a fourth goal in a 4–2 North London derby victory. A week later, on 8 December, Torreira scored a late 83rd-minute winner against Huddersfield Town with a bicycle kick, giving him his second goal in as many games at the Emirates Stadium. In the match, Torreira was also awarded his fifth consecutive Arsenal Man of the Match performance.[15] Torreira was dismissed in stoppage time during the club's reverse fixture against Tottenham at Wembley after a late challenge on Danny Rose. The match ended 1–1 and it was Torreira's first red card for Arsenal; although Arsenal attempted to appeal the ban, their appeal was rejected by the FA, which meant that Torreira's ban would still result in a three-match ban. As a result, Torreira would miss Arsenal's games against Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton.[16][17] ESPN's Bill Barnwell named Torreira the third best signing of the Premier League season.[18]

2019–20: FA Cup win

Torreira made his first appearance of the season in Arsenal's 2–1 win over Burnley on 17 August.[19] Torreira scored his first goal of the season in Arsenal's 3–1 defeat to Liverpool after replacing Dani Ceballos in the 61st minute.[20] He struggled for playing time early on in the season, but regained a starting position under new Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. On 2 March, Torreira suffered a presumably season-ending ankle injury in an FA Cup win against Portsmouth.[21] However, the Premier League suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic gave Torreira enough time to heal and return to fitness by the time the season restarted in June. He played only sparingly for the rest of the season.

2020–21: Loan to Atlético Madrid

On 5 October 2020, Torreira joined Atlético Madrid on a season-long loan.[22] On 17 October, Torreira made his debut in a 2–0 win against Celta Vigo in La Liga.[23] On 31 October, he came off the bench and scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 league win over Osasuna.[24]

2021–22: Loan to Fiorentina

On 25 August 2021, Fiorentina announced the signing of Torreira on loan from Arsenal until 30 June 2022 with an option to buy him next summer for around £13 million.[25][26] On 12 September, Torreira made his debut in Fiorentina's 2–1 win over Atalanta, after being named in Italiano's starting eleven.[27][28]

Galatasaray

On 8 August 2022, Torreira signed for Süper Lig club Galatasaray[29] on a four-year contract, for a reported fee of €6 million.[30]

Torreira became Süper Lig champion in the 2022–23 season with Galatasaray. Defeating Ankaragücü 4-1 away in the match played in the 36th week on 30 May 2023, Galatasaray secured the lead with two weeks before the end and won the 23rd championship in its history.[31]

International career

Torreira playing for Uruguay at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Torreira was born in Uruguay, and is of Spanish descent through his paternal grandfather from Galicia.[32] He holds a Spanish passport, and was scouted by the senior Italy national football team before he was capped by Uruguay.[33]

Torreira was called up to the senior Uruguay squad for the 2018 China Cup in March 2018.[34] He made his debut in the 2–0 win over the Czech Republic in the China Cup semi-final on 23 March.[35]

In June 2018, he was named in Uruguay's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[36] The tournament served as a breakthrough for Torreira, who played in all five of Uruguay's games.[4]

Style of play

Upon signing for Arsenal in 2018, The Independent's Jack Austin stated "Torreira is exactly the kind of no-nonsense midfielder the club have been craving", adding that in Uruguay colours during the 2018 World Cup "he went about his job as the deep-lying pivot in the middle of the park with none of the fuss and all of the discipline of a player who has built a tidy reputation for himself in Serie A", while assessing his chief weaknesses as a lack of height in aerial duels and little goal threat.[37]

WhoScored notes that Torreira is a player who likes to shoot from distance and often gets fouled. They also note that he likes to play short passes and make tackles.[38]

Atlético Madrid manager, Diego Simeone, praised Torreira for his high work rate and speed on the pitch.[39]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 December 2023[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Pescara 2014–15 Serie B 5000——3[lower-alpha 3]080
Pescara (loan) 2015–16 Serie B 29421——3[lower-alpha 3]1346
Sampdoria 2016–17 Serie A 35010———360
2017–18 Serie A 36420———384
Total 7143000——744
Arsenal 2018–19 Premier League 342103012[lower-alpha 4]0—502
2019–20 Premier League 29120216[lower-alpha 4]0—392
Total 6333051180—894
Atlético Madrid (loan) 2020–21 La Liga 19120—5[lower-alpha 5]0—261
Fiorentina (loan) 2021–22 Serie A 31540———355
Galatasaray 2022–23 Süper Lig 31030———340
2023–24 Süper Lig 16000—8[lower-alpha 5]000240
Total 47030—8000580
Career total 26517171523206132520
  1. ↑ Includes Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Copa del Rey, Turkish Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearances in Serie B promotion play-offs
  4. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 23 September 2022[41]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Uruguay 2018130
2019100
202030
202190
202250
Total400

Honours

Arsenal

Atletico Madrid

Galatasaray

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of players: Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Lucas Torreira: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Lucas Torreira". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Torreira, Uruguay's little giant". FIFA.com. 5 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "DONE DEAL: Sampdoria sign Pescara midfielder Lucas Torreira". Tribal Football. 1 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Torreira out to earn his Samp stripes: "I'm here for the long haul"". U.C. Sampdoria. 10 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.C. Sampdoria Serie A TIM 2016/2017: Empoli – Sampdoria". U.C. Sampdoria. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Juventus falls 3-2 at Sampdoria ahead of matchup against Barcelona". USA TODAY. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "Arsenal: Lucas Torreira agrees deal & Matteo Guendouzi set for medical". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Lucas Torreira to join Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 20 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Begley, Emlyn (12 August 2018). "Arsenal 0–2 Manchester City: Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva give champions win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  12. ↑ Pearlman, Michael (2 September 2018). "Cardiff City 2–3 Arsenal". BBC Sport.
  13. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (20 September 2018). "Arsenal 4–2 Vorskla Poltava". BBC Sport.
  14. ↑ Stadium, Barney Ronay at the Emirates (4 November 2018). "Lucas Torreira, the Mighty Insect, embodies Arsenal's new grit – Barney Ronay". The Guardian.
  15. ↑ Skelton, Jack (8 December 2018). "Arsenal 1–0 Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport.
  16. ↑ McNulty, Phil (2 March 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Ouzia, Malik (6 March 2019). "Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira handed three-game ban after appeal rejected by FA". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. ↑ "Bill Barnwell's Premier League Winners and Losers, 2018-19". ESPN.com. 14 May 2019.
  19. ↑ Poole, Harry (17 August 2019). "Aubameyang hits winner against Burnley". BBC Sport.
  20. ↑ "Salah double seals easy win for Reds". BBC Sport. 24 August 2019.
  21. ↑ Simpson, Christopher (9 March 2020). "Arsenal Confirm Lucas Torreira Out for 8 to 10 Weeks Among Injury Updates". Bleacher Report.
  22. ↑ "Lucas Torreira joins Atletico Madrid on loan". Arsenal. 5 October 2020.
  23. ↑ "Diego Simeone hails Lucas Torreira after Arsenal midfielder makes Atletico debut". Metro. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "Loan watch: Torreira scores first Atletico goal". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "TORREIRA IS A NEW FIORENTINA PLAYER". ACF Fiorentina. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "Lucas Torreira joins Fiorentina on loan from Arsenal". 90min.com. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  27. ↑ LiveScore, SofaScore com. "Atalanta vs Fiorentina live score, H2H and lineups | SofaScore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  28. ↑ Nutella, Nicky (13 September 2021). "Atalanta 1-2 Fiorentina: Player grades and 3 things we learned". Viola Nation. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  29. ↑ "Lucas Torreira joins Galatasaray". Arsenal FC. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  30. ↑ Sarigul, Emre (8 August 2022). "Arsenal midfielder joins Turkish giants for €6m transfer fee on a four-year deal". Turkish Football. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray win title for 23rd time after beating Ankaragucu 4-1". BBC Sport. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "La increíble historia de esfuerzo de Lucas Torreira contada por su padre". El Observador (in Spanish). 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  33. ↑ "Lucas Torreira, el cinco más completo del Calcio". Sphera Sports. 29 September 2017.
  34. ↑ "Torreira earns first Uruguayan call-up". Get Italian Football News. 4 March 2018.
  35. ↑ "Torreira makes Uruguay debut in China Cup victory over Czech Republic". U.C. Sampdoria. 23 March 2018.
  36. ↑ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – Final 23-man lists". Goal. 4 June 2018.
  37. ↑ Austin, Jack (10 July 2018). "Arsenal transfer news: This is what Lucas Torreira will bring to Unai Emery's midfield, World Cup 2018 scouting report". The Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  38. ↑ "Lucas Torreira Football Statistics". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  39. ↑ "Diego Simeone hails Lucas Torreira after Arsenal midfielder makes Atletico debut". Metro. 17 October 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  40. ↑ "L. Torreira: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  41. ↑ "Torreira, Lucas". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  42. ↑ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  43. ↑ Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  44. ↑ "Lucas Torreira says goodbye to Atletico Madrid after La Liga title win". Football Espana. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  45. ↑ "CUMHURİYETİN YÜZÜ, TÜRKİYE'NİN EN BÜYÜĞÜ, ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
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