Luciano Gabriel "Lucho" Figueroa Herrera (; born 19 May 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career

Figueroa was born in Santa Fe. He began his professional career with Primera División club

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the English- ...

, where he formed a partnership with

César Delgado César Fabián Delgado Godoy (born 18 August 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a winger. He also played as a central midfielder, making piercing forward runs through the center of the opposition's defence. His ...

. In the 2003

Clausura The ' and ' tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is divi ...

, Figueroa finished as Argentina's leading goalscorer with 17 goals, which included five in the last match of the season against an under-strength Boca Juniors. This was his last season at Rosario Central. Both he and Delgado transferred overseas in the summer of 2003; Figueroa joined English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

for a fee of £2.5 million. Controversy arose when Spanish club Osasuna claimed that Figueroa had signed a contract with them before his move to Birmingham, thereby invalidating the transfer. At the end of August 2003 FIFA ruled provisionally in Birmingham's favour, but it was not until October that this ruling was finally confirmed. Figueroa had been close to joining Rangers earlier that summer but the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

club pulled out of the deal. Though Figueroa was scoring freely for Birmingham's

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

, manager Steve Bruce believed he would struggle in the Premiership due to his physique. After only one League appearance, as a late substitute in a 2–0 defeat of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, and one outing in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

, his contract was annulled, and he signed for

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

of the Primera División de México, where he was reunited with former teammate Delgado. After a slow start, Figueroa returned to his old form with Cruz Azul, scoring 9 goals in the last 7 games of the 2004 Clausura. He maintained his form in the 2004 Apertura, scoring 10 goals in 14 games for the club.

Villarreal

His exceptional performances for Cruz Azul led to a transfer to Spain, where he signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with

Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

in November 2004. The transfer fee was officially undisclosed, but was estimated in the media as €3 million. Figueroa made less of an impact at Villarreal. Even so, he helped the club to a third-place finish in

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' ...

in the 2004–05 season, and scored their first ever Champions League goal, against Everton in the third qualifying round of the 2005–06 competition, but had left the club by the time they reached the semi-final. In January 2006, apparently concerned that his lack of playing time would adversely affect his chances of selection for Argentina at the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

, Figueroa returned to his home country. He joined River Plate, who bought 50% of the rights to the player. He started well there, scoring three goals in his first seven games of the 2006 Clausura, but on 5 March 2006 he suffered a cruciate ligament injury which effectively put an end to his career with River.

Genoa

On 1 August 2006, Villarreal sold Figueroa to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

for a reported $13 million fee. He signed a four-year contract with the club. Though still not fully recovered from his injury, medical opinion was that Figueroa should have been able to play again by mid-October. However it became clear that the knee reconstruction had not been completely successful and that another operation would be needed. It was predicted that this further surgery would keep him from playing that season. Figueroa eventually made his debut for Genoa, by this time in

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 Cop ...

, on 28 October 2007 as a second-half substitute against

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 fol ...

, and scored his first goal for the club some six weeks later, a stoppage-time consolation in a 3–1 defeat at home to

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

. Figueroa was loaned from Genoa to Boca Juniors in October 2008. He played an important role during the Torneo Apertura by scoring important goals as the title race was between Boca Juniors, Tigre and San Lorenzo, who were level on points at the top of the table. Eventually, Figueroa's performances helped Boca to win the Torneo Apertura.

Rosario Central

After Genoa released the player, he returned to his first club,

. After passing a medical examination on his knee, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract on 20 January 2010.

Panathinaikos

On 6 February 2013, he was released on a free transfer by Emelec and joined Greek club Panathinaikos until the end of the season. He made his debut in a crucial game against

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

that Panathinaikos won 2–0. On 9 March 2013 he scored his first goal for the Greens, with a successful penalty kick against

AO Kerkyra Kerkyra FC, also known as AO Kerkyra ( el, Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κέρκυρα - Athlitikos Omilos Kerkyra), the ''Athletic Club Kerkyra'', is a Greek association football club based on the island of Kerkyra ( Corfu), Greece. Histor ...

. He scored a goal in an away match against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

in a match that ended 1–1. It was reported in June 2013 that Figueroa was to sign for

Brazilian Série A Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may als ...

side Náutico, but the deal fell through. On 12 September 2013, Figueroa signed once again with Panathinaikos for one year.

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Figueroa signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth $1.5 million annually, with

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malays ...

team

Johor Darul Ta'zim Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club or simply JDT is a professional Association football, football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The club was founded in 1972 as PKENJ FC and currently competes in the top division of Malaysian football ...

in December 2013. The transfer fee was $1 million. Figueroa scored his first goal in the 88th minute after a through pass from Safiq Rahim to give Johor Darul Ta'zim their first win, 2–0 against

Perak FA Perak Football Club or Perak F.C. is a professional football club based in Ipoh. Founded in 1921, the club's home ground since then has been Perak Stadium in Ipoh, Perak. The club represents the state of Perak in Malaysian football competitions ...

in the season opener. His previous experiences with clubs in Europe and South America helped Johor Darul Ta'zim to win their first league title in the 2014 season with 11 league goals (22 goals overall). On 22 August 2015, he won his second league title with Johor. On 31 October 2015, Figueroa won the club's first ever AFC Cup title after defeating Istiklol 1–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. After his playing contract with Johor Darul Ta'zim ended in 2015, Figueroa decided to retire as a football player. In 2017, he returned to become the new Johor Darul Ta'zim football club ambassador, and came out of retirement in November of that year to play for Johor Darul Ta'zim in the 2018 Malaysia Super League. In May 2018, he returned to his ambassadorial role and retired again as a professional football player. In August 2018, Figueroa was appointed as the team manager of Johor Darul Ta'zim. Club owner Tunku Ismail Ibrahim later also announced Figueroa as head coach of JDT, with JDT II head coach Benjamin Mora as his assistant.

International career

Figueroa has appeared for the Argentina national football team while playing for Cruz Azul and Villarreal, performing impressively in the

Copa América 2004 Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA may refer to: * Computer Operator Programming Assistant. trade of ITI * Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet * Canadian Owners and Pilots Asso ...

and the 2005 Confederations Cup – where only the Brazilian

Adriano Adriano or Adrião is the form of the Latin given name ''Hadrianus'' commonly used in the Italian language; the form Adrian is used in the English language. Notable people with the name include: * Adriano Banchieri, Italian composer, music theor ...

outscored him – and was part of the gold medal-winning Argentina team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. At international level, he boasts a strike-rate of 60%, with 9 goals from 15 appearances, the same stats as

Martín Palermo Martín Palermo (; born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Platense. Palermo played for Boca Juniors and the Argentina national team. A prolific goalscorer ...

. The cruciate injury deprived him of the chance to represent his country at the 2006 World Cup.

Career statistics

International

Honours

Player

Boca Juniors * Primera División: 2008 Apertura Johor Darul Ta'zim *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

* Malaysia Cup: runner-up

Piala Sumbangsih Piala Sumbangsih (English: Malaysia Charity Cup), also known as Piala Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah ( en, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Cup), is the Malaysian super cup competition. It is the curtain raiser match to the new Malaysian football season, pitting ...

: 2015,

* AFC Cup: 2015 Argentina *

Olympic Gold Medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

: 2004 *

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament The CONMEBOL Preolímpico ( en, Pre-Olympic Tournament) is an international association football event in the South America region organized by CONMEBOL. It is the qualification tournament for the football tournament at the Olympic Games. In ...

: 2004 * Copa América: runner-up 2004 * FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up 2005

Individual

* Primera División Argentina top scorer: 2003 Clausura * PFAM Player of the Month: July 2015 * FAM Football Awards Best Foreign Player: 2015

Manager

Johor Darul Ta'zim * Malaysia Super League:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

* Malaysia Cup:

* Piala Sumbangsih:

References

External links

Luciano Figueroa – Argentine Primera statistics
at Fútbol XXI *
Statistics
at Guardian Stats Centre
Player profile and stats
at FootballDatabase {{DEFAULTSORT:Figueroa, Luciano 1981 births Living people Footballers from Santa Fe, Argentina Argentine footballers Argentina international footballers Association football forwards Rosario Central footballers Birmingham City F.C. players Cruz Azul footballers Villarreal CF players Club Atlético River Plate footballers Genoa C.F.C. players Boca Juniors footballers C.S. Emelec footballers Panathinaikos F.C. players Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. players Argentine Primera División players Premier League players Liga MX players La Liga players Serie B players Serie A players Ecuadorian Serie A players Super League Greece players Malaysia Super League players 2004 Copa América players Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Olympic medalists in football 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players AFC Cup winning players Argentine football managers Malaysia Super League managers Argentine expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Ecuador Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Greece Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Mexico Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia Citizens of Italy through descent Argentine people of Italian descent Italian sportspeople of Argentine descent