González playing with Marseille |
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Óscar González | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1981 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||
| Current club | Marseille | |||||||||||
| Number | 8 | |||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Huracán | |||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Huracán | 94 | (10) | |||||||||
| 2002–2005 | River Plate | 82 | (18) | |||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Porto | 111 | (32) | |||||||||
| 2009– | Marseille | 79 | (14) | |||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||
| 2003– | Argentina | 51 | (6) | |||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Luis Óscar "Lucho" González (born 19 January 1981 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1.
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 (the commander) due to his leadership skills.
An Argentine international on 44 occasions, González represented his country in the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
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González began his career at Club Atlético Huracán, at the age of 14, making his first division 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 of Buenos Aires, 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 F.C. Porto in 2005, signing a five-year contract.[1] In his first season, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, including braces against Académica de Coimbra (5–1), F.C. Penafiel (3–1) and Vitória de Guimarães (3–1), helping the northerners to the first of their four consecutive league titles.
At Porto, González eventually became team captain. In November 2006, he signed an improved five-year contract and, in August 2007, the team paid €6.65 million to Global Soccer Agencies to achieve full ownership of the player, as the club activated the clause by rejecting an offer from Everton.[2][3]
Lucho remained a fan favorite at the Estádio do Dragão for the duration of his link. On 22 March 2009, he scored against C.F. Estrela da Amadora in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semifinals (2–0 home win, 3–2 on aggregate), whilst during the league campaign, El Comandante netted nine times in only 23 games to help Porto to the fourth title in a row (the season ended with the double conquest).
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.[4] 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,[5] and also found the net on 26 November, in the UEFA Champions League group stage draw against A.C. Milan at the San Siro (1–1).[6] 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.[7]
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,[8] with the team ending its run in the competition the round of 16.
After the winter break, González scored in the 5–1 home thrashing of Valenciennes FC, opening the score in the 33rd minute.[9] 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 (2–1).[10] On 28 February 2010, he scored once in a 3–0 away win against Paris Saint-Germain FC, which left Marseille in fourth place.[11] He finished his first season with 32 games and five goals, as L'OM eventually won the league/league cup double.
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.[12] A month later, he netted the winning goal against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, in a 2–1 home win.[13] On 3 November, he grabbed a brace in a 7–0 away routing of MŠK Žilina, in the season's Champions League,[14] 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.[15] In Marseille's next game, he opened the score in a 2–1 win over AS Saint-Étienne.[16]
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.[17] He provided the assist for Benoit Cheyrou's goal against RC Lens, in a 1–0 win, and also started in the French League Cup final, won against Montpellier by the same result.[18]
Due to his solid performances, González was linked with a transfer to Arsenal F.C. in England, in early May 2011.[19] 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."[20]
On 8 May 2011, Marseille faced title challengers Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade de Gerland, and González scored in an eventual 2–3 loss,[21] 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.[22]
Despite the constant speculation, González remained with Marseille for the 2011–12 season. In the first matchday, he opened the scoring in the 38' minute against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, in an eventual 2–2 home draw.[23] On 13 September, he netted the game's only goal in an away fixture against Olympiacos F.C. for the Champions League group stage, where he also earned Man of the match accolades.[24]
Under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, González made his first appearance with the Argentine national team on 31 January 2003 against Honduras.[25] He went on to represent the nation in the 2004 Copa América, scoring two goals during the tournament, as Argentina lost the final on penalties to Brazil.[26]
González also played with the team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[27] In the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup held in Germany, he helped the national side earn a second-place finish in the competition, once again losing to Brazil in the final.
In 2006, González was selected for the squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in which Argentina, managed by José Pekerman, lost to hosts Germany in the quarter-finals, on penalties. Subsequently, he was part of the Alfio Basile–managed squad at 2007 Copa América, where Argentina lost again to Brazil in the final, losing by a score of 3–0 to their archrivals.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 February 2003 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 February 2003 | Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | United States | 0–1 | 0–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 July 2004 | Estadio Elías Aguirre, Chiclayo, Peru | Ecuador | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2004 Copa América |
| 4 | 20 July 2004 | Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru | Colombia | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2004 Copa América |
| 5 | 9 October 2004 | Estadio Antonio V. Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Uruguay | 1–0 | 4–2 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 1 April 2009 | Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia | Bolivia | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
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