Luis Diego López Breijo (; born 22 August 1974) is a Uruguayan former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defender and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. He is the current manager of Ecuadorian club

Barcelona SC Barcelona Sporting Club () is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. Internationally known as Barcelona de Ecuador, in Ecuador it is simply referred as Barcelona, El Idolo (BSC) or Barce. T ...

. His career was intimately connected with

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

in Italy, for which he appeared in over 300 competitive games in 12 years. Internationally, he represented

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

in two

Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...

tournaments. López served as Cagliari's manager in two spells, as well as three other

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

clubs. In

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, he won the

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , en, First Division Professional League, local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional Association football, ...

for

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

Playing career

Club

Born in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, López started playing professionally with local

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez, Buenos Aires, Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city ...

. Two years later he signed with

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system ...

in Spain, playing 39

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

games in his debut season but receiving nine

yellow cards Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...

and three

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

in the process; in

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

, he shared teams with compatriots

Fernando Correa Fernando Edgardo Correa Ayala (born 6 January 1974) is a Uruguayan retired footballer who played as a striker, and is a current manager. Having represented in his country River Plate and Peñarol, he had a lengthy spell in Spain with Atlétic ...

and José Zalazar. López moved to Italy in 1998 and joined

Cagliari Calcio Cagliari Calcio, commonly referred to as Cagliari (), is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. In the 2022-23 season, they compete in Serie B. As of 2021–22, the team is temporarily playing their home games at the 16,416-seat ...

, recently promoted to

. During his first seven seasons in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, with the exception of his first year – only one match – he never made less than 26 league appearances and spent four years (2000–04) in the

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

, also being eventually awarded team captaincy. On 14 April 2009, following a tunnel brawl with

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

Felipe Melo Felipe Melo de Carvalho (born 26 June 1983), known as Felipe Melo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Fluminense. He began his career with Campeonato Brasileiro Série A teams Flamengo, Cruzeiro a ...

in a 1–2 away loss, both López and the Brazilian received a five-match ban. In July, one month shy of his 35th birthday, he signed a one-year contract with Cagliari. In the 2009–10 campaign the veteran contributed 18 games as 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

pre-season camp, López announced his retirement from professional football, having appeared in 344 official matches for his main club.

International

López made his debut for

on 19 October 1994, in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

with

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

in the Estadio Nacional José Díaz in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

(1–0 win). The following year he represented the nation at the

, 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 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s, and earned a total of 32

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

Coaching career

In July 2012, López was named at the helm of the ''Primavera'' under-19 side of Cagliari and, on 2 October, was unveiled as new assistant coach for the main squad after the

Ivo Pulga Ivo Pulga (born 20 June 1964) is an Italian association football coach and former player, who played as a midfielder. He currently works as a scout with Brescia in the Serie B. Career Playing career A physical centre midfielder, Pulga started ...

-led club parted ways with

Massimo Ficcadenti Massimo Ficcadenti (born 6 November 1967 in Fermo) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. Career Playing Ficcadenti started his playing career with Sambenedettese, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina, pla ...

. López and Pulga swapped roles in July 2013 after the former was admitted to the yearly

UEFA Pro Licence UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, mandates several coaching licences for professional managers, each valid for coaching at a certain level. These include the UEFA Pro Licence, the UEFA A Licence, and the UEFA B Licence. They are iss ...

course, thus being allowed to serve as head coach in the Italian top flight; he was dismissed on 6 April 2014 by owner

Massimo Cellino Massimo Cellino (; born 28 July 1956) is an Italian entrepreneur and football club owner. Through his family trust Eleonora Sport Ltd he is the owner of Italian club Brescia Calcio, and is the former owner of italian club Cagliari, and English cl ...

, this being the 36th manager change he went through in 22 years of tenure. On 1 July 2014, López was appointed at

Bologna F.C. 1909 Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. The club have won seven top-flight titles, two Co ...

in the Italian second tier. After a good start to the season, he was relieved of his duties on 4 May 2015 following a negative streak. López was named

U.S. Città di Palermo Palermo Football Club, more simply known as Palermo F.C. or Palermo (; scn, Paliemmu, link=no, ), is an Italian football club based in the Sicilian city of Palermo, conventionally founded for the first time on 1 November 1900. Among the club� ...

's fourth manager of the campaign, on 26 January 2017. He was sacked on 11 April, after a run of bad results. On 18 October 2017, López returned to Cagliari as head coach after the dismissal of

Massimo Rastelli Massimo Rastelli (born 27 December 1968) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current head coach of club Avellino. Career Playing A second striker/winger, Rastelli started his career with Serie D ...

. At the end of the season, having avoided the drop, he left by mutual consent. López returned to his homeland in early June 2018, joining

. Starting from five points behind arch-rivals

Club Nacional de Football Club Nacional de Football (, ''National Football Club'' or simply as Nacional) is a Uruguayan professional sports club based in Montevideo. The club was founded on 14 May 1899 as a result of the merger between ''Uruguay Athletic Club'' and ''Mon ...

, he led the club to a league title by beating that adversary 1–0 in the final; after losing by the same margin to Nacional in the next edition, he announced his exit in December 2019. On 5 February 2020, López returned to the Italian top division, signing with second-from-bottom

Brescia Calcio Brescia Calcio, commonly referred to as Brescia (), is an Italian football club based in Brescia, Lombardy, that currently plays in . The club holds the record for total number of seasons (64) and consecutive seasons (18, from 1947–48 to 1 ...

following

Eugenio Corini Eugenio Corini (born 30 July 1970) is an Italian professional football coach and former player, currently in charge of Serie B club Palermo. A talented, dynamic, and hard-working playmaker, known for his precise long passing, flair, and his a ...

's sacking. His contract with the club – also owned by Cellino – was terminated by mutual consent on 12 August following

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

, and

Luigi Delneri Luigi Delneri (born 23 August 1950), often incorrectly written as Del Neri, is an Italian football manager and a former player. After a playing career as a midfielder including for several Serie A clubs, he began managing in the lower leagues, a ...

succeeded him. On 6 October, however, he returned to the

Stadio Mario Rigamonti Stadio Mario Rigamonti is a soccer stadium located in Brescia, Italy. It is currently the home of Brescia Calcio. It is dedicated to Mario Rigamonti, a defender of the Grande Torino, born in Brescia, who died in the Superga air disaster in ...

. He was shown the door again on 7 December, after a run of three defeats.

Personal life

He has three sons called Thiago, Ian and Inty. They were born in Italy and have been with the Cagliari youth team. The oldest son, Thiago, also played for

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Uruguay *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

; Runner-up

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Manager

Peñarol *

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Diego (footballer, born 1974 08) 1974 births Living people Footballers from Montevideo Uruguayan men's footballers Men's association football defenders Uruguayan Primera División players Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) players La Liga players Racing de Santander players Serie A players Serie B players Cagliari Calcio players Uruguay men's under-20 international footballers Uruguay men's international footballers 1995 Copa América players 1999 Copa América players 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup players Copa América-winning players Uruguayan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Uruguayan football managers Serie A managers Serie B managers Cagliari Calcio managers Bologna FC 1909 managers Palermo FC managers Brescia Calcio managers Uruguayan Primera División managers Peñarol managers Barcelona S.C. managers Chilean Primera División managers Club Universidad de Chile managers Uruguayan expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Italy Expatriate football managers in Chile Expatriate football managers in Ecuador Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Chile Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Ecuador