Luis Diego López

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This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is López and the second or maternal family name is Breijo.
Diego López
Personal information
Full nameLuis Diego López Breijo
Date of birth (1974-08-22) 22 August 1974
Place of birthMontevideo, Uruguay
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionDefender
Club information
Current clubCagliari (coach)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1994–1996River Plate (UY)37(2)
1996–1998Racing Santander62(3)
1998–2010Cagliari344(7)
Total443(12)
National team
1994–2005Uruguay32(1)
Teams managed
2013–Cagliari
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Luis Diego López Breijo (born 22 August 1974) is an Uruguayan retired footballer who played as a defender, and the current manager of Cagliari Calcio.

His career was intimately connected with Cagliari in Italy, for which he appeared in nearly 400 official games in 12 years. He later worked with the club as a manager, in several categories.

López represented Uruguay in two Copa América tournaments.

Club career

Born in Montevideo, López started playing professionally with local side Club Atlético River Plate. 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] In July 2012 he was named at the helm of the Primavera under-19 team and, on 2 October, was unveiled as new assistant coach for the main squad, after the Ivo Pulga-led club parted ways with Massimo Ficcadenti.[5]

López and Pulga swapped roles in July 2013 after the former was admitted to the yearly UEFA Pro Licence course, thus being allowed to serve as head coach in the Italian top flight.

International career

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).[6]

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.

Honours

Country

Managerial statistics

As of 1 February 2014.
Team Nat From To Competition Record
G W D L Win % GF GA GD
Cagliari Italy July 2013 Present Serie A 22 5 9 8 22.73 21 31 –10
Coppa Italia 1 0 0 1 00.00 1 2 –1
Total 23 5 9 9 21.74 22 33 –11
Career totals League 22 5 9 8 22.73 21 31 –10
Domestic Cup 1 0 0 1 00.00 1 2 –1
Total 23 5 9 9 21.74 22 33 –11

References

  1. ↑ "Lengthy bans for Serie A fighters". FIFA.com. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2010. 
  2. ↑ "Lopez rinnova" [López renews] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
  3. ↑ "I convocati per il pre-ritiro" [Players selected to training camp] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
  4. ↑ Lopez hangs up his boots; Football Italia, 9 September 2010
  5. ↑ "Nuovo corso" [New path] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012. 
  6. ↑ Uruguay – International Matches 1991–1995; at RSSSF

External links

Cagliari Calcio – current squad
Serie A managers
Cagliari Calcio – managers
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