Lorenzo Melgarejo

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Melgarejo and the second or maternal family name is Sanabria.
Lorenzo Melgarejo

Melgarejo in action with Benfica in 2012
Personal information
Full nameLorenzo Antonio Melgarejo Sanabria
Date of birth10 August 1990
Place of birthLoma Grande, Paraguay
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing positionWingback
Club information
Current team
Kuban Krasnodar
Number28
Youth career
El Porvenir Alteño
Libertad
Independiente CG
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
200912 de Octubre22(7)
2010Olimpia Asunción12(1)
2011Independiente CG17(8)
2011–2013Benfica21(2)
2011–2012→ Paços Ferreira (loan)29(10)
2013Benfica B1(0)
2013–Kuban Krasnodar29(7)
National team‡
2009–2010Paraguay U203(0)
2012–Paraguay2(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 August 2013

Lorenzo Antonio Melgarejo Sanabria (born 8 August 1990) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for Russian club FC Kuban Krasnodar mainly as a left back.

Club career

Early years / Benfica

Melgarejo was born in Loma Grande District.[2] He started his professional career with Club 12 de Octubre at the age of 19, and later moved to the capital, Asunción, where he represented Club Olimpia and Independiente FBC.

In early June 2011 Melgarejo moved to Portugal after being signed by Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica,[3] who immediately loaned him to fellow league side F.C. Paços de Ferreira for one season.[4]

Melgarejo scored on his debut with Paços, a 2–1 home win against União de Leiria.[5] He also found the net against F.C. Porto in a 1–1 draw on 25 March 2012, also at home,[6] and finished the campaign as the team's top scorer.

For 2012–13 Benfica manager Jorge Jesus decided to recall Melgarejo and reconvert him into a left back, also immediately placing him as a starter.[7][8] On 17 September, in spite of initial criticism,[9] his contract was extended until June 2018 with a release clause of €30 million.[10]

Melgarejo spent most of the campaign in the starting eleven, including in the UEFA Europa League final,[11][12] but was an unused substitute in the season's Portuguese Cup final,[13] with Benfica losing both matches.

Kuban

In July 2013 it was widely reported that Liverpool had agreed a deal to sign Melgarejo on loan, with a view to making the move permanent at the end of the season,[14][15] but no transfer took place. Instead, on 2 September, he signed with Russian Premier League club FC Kuban Krasnodar for a €5 million fee.[16][17][18]

International career

On 14 November 2012 Melgarejo made his debut for the Paraguayan national team, playing the second half of a 3–1 friendly win over Guatemala.[19]

Honours

Benfica

References

  1. ↑ "Melgarejo" (in Portuguese). SL Benfica. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Lorenzo Antonio Melgarejo Sanabria" (in Spanish). Selección Paraguaya. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Melgarejo e Perez são águias de Jesus" [Melgarejo and Perez are Jesus' eagles]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 9 June 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Lorenzo Melgarejo em Paços de Ferreira" [Lorenzo Melgarejo in Paços de Ferreira]]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 7 July 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  5. ↑ "Melgarejo só precisou de 4 minutos para marcar" [Melgarejo only needed 4 minutes to score]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 23 August 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Pacos deny Porto late on". FIFA.com. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Melgarejo mostrou o que já se sabia" [Melgarejo showed what was already known] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Benfica: Álvaro e Inácio aprovam Melgarejo a lateral" [Benfica: Álvaro and Inácio give thumbs-up to Melgarejo as left-back] (in Portuguese). Relvado. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Lateral-esquerdo em equação" [Left-back a possibility] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "Melgarejo renova até 2018" [Melgarejo renews until 2018]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 September 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  11. ↑ "Ivanović heads Chelsea to Europa League glory". UEFA. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "How Chelsea won the big final". Football 365. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "Guimarães claim famous cup win". PortuGOAL. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  14. ↑ Guimarães, Gonçalo (30 July 2013). "Acordo com o Liverpool por Melgarejo" [Agreement with Liverpool for Melgarejo]. A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Echo: Deal agreed for left-back". Liverpool F.C. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  16. ↑ МЕЛЬГАРЕХО СТАЛ ИГРОКОМ "КУБАНИ" [Melgarejo signs for Kuban] (in Russian). Kuban Krasnodar. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  17. ↑ "Melgarejo transferido para os russos do Kuban Krasnodar" [Melgarejo transferred to Russia's Kuban Krasnodar] (in Portuguese). SL Benfica. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "Melgarejo vendido por 5 milhões de euros" [Melgarejo sold for 5 million euros]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Melgarejo estreou-se pelo Paraguai" [Melgarejo made Paraguay debut]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.

External links

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