| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Diego López Breijo | ||
| Date of birth | 22 August 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1996 | River Plate Montevideo | 37 | (2) |
| 1996–1998 | Racing Santander | 62 | (3) |
| 1998–2010 | Cagliari | 344 | (7) |
| National team | |||
| 1994–2005 | Uruguay | 32 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Luis Diego López Breijo (born 22 August 1974 in Montevideo) is a retired Uruguayan footballer who played as a defender.
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López started playing professionally with local side Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo). Two years later, he signed with Racing de Santander in Spain, playing in 39 La Liga games in his debut season, but receiving nine yellow cards and three red in the process; in Cantabria, he shared teams with compatriots Fernando Correa and José Zalazar.
In 1998, López moved to Italy and joined Cagliari Calcio, freshly promoted to Serie A. During his first seven seasons with the Sardinian side, with the exception of his first year - only one match - he never appeared in less than 26 league contests, and spent four years (2000–04) in the second division, also being eventually awarded team captaincy.
On 14 April 2009, following a tunnel brawl with ACF Fiorentina's Felipe Melo in a 1–2 away loss, López received - as the Brazilian - a five-match ban.[1] In July, one month shy of his 35th birthday, he signed a one-year contract with Cagliari.[2] In the 2009–10 season, the veteran appeared in 18 league games his team again managed to avoid relegation, after finishing in 16th position.
On 9 September 2010, after not being called-up to Cagliari's 2010–11 pre-season camp,[3] López announced his retirement from professional football, having appeared in nearly 400 official games for his main club (12 professional seasons).[4]
López made his debut for Uruguay on 19 October 1994, in a friendly match with Peru in the Estadio Nacional José Díaz in Lima (1–0 win).[5]
The following year, he represented the nation at the Copa América, with the tournament being held on home soil, and won by the hosts, who conceded just four goals in six matches. López was overlooked, however, for the squads which appeared at the 2002 and 2010 FIFA World Cups, and amassed a total of 32 caps.
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