Leonardo Pisculichi

Leonardo Nicolás Pisculichi (Spanish pronunciation: [leoˈnaɾðo piskuˈlitʃi]; born 18 January 1984) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Spanish club Burgos CF as an attacking midfielder.[1]

Leonardo Pisculichi
Pisculichi in his return to Argentinos Juniors
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Nicolás Pisculichi
Date of birth (1984-01-18) 18 January 1984
Place of birth Rafael Castillo, Argentina
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Burgos
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2005 Argentinos Juniors 57 (18)
2006 Mallorca 20 (3)
2007–2012 Al-Arabi 124 (67)
2012–2013 Shandong Luneng 9 (1)
2014 Argentinos Juniors 15 (4)
2014–2016 River Plate 69 (10)
2017 Vitória 3 (0)
2017–2019 Argentinos Juniors 35 (5)
2019– Burgos 3 (1)
National team
2003 Argentina U20 2 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 june 2020

Club career

Pisculichi started his career with Argentinos Juniors, making his first division debut on 20 February 2002, against Talleres de Córdoba. He was transferred to Spain's RCD Mallorca on 4 January 2006.[2] His beginnings at his new club were promising, as he netted three times in his first five games - including a penalty kick equalizer against Real Madrid on 26 February, in an eventual 2-1 home triumph.

However, Pisculichi gradually fell out of favour with the Balearic Islands outfit and, on 30 November 2006, was transferred to Al-Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Qatar for €3.6 million, with the move being made effective in January of the following year. He played amazing football in his 5 years of football in Al Arabi. He could have been a phenomenal player if he had stayed in Mallorca since he was known in The Gulf region as one of the best Free kick takers.[3]

In July 2012, Pisculichi transferred to Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng Taishan. In 2014, he joined Argentine powerhouse River Plate. During his tenure at River Plate he won the 2014 Copa Sudamericana against Atletico Nacional. He left River in December 2016, and signed for Brazilian side Esporte Clube Vitória in January 2017

Return to Argentina

Having left Vitória in May 2017, Pisculichi signed for newly promoted side Argentinos Juniors, the team he started his career with in August 2017, with him being the first signing of the campaign.

Burgos CF

In June 2019 it was confirmed, that Pisculichi had joined Spanish Segunda División B club Burgos CF.[4]

International career

Pisculichi played 134 minutes in the 2003 South American Youth Championship held in Uruguay, representing the Argentina youth football team. He started in the game against hosts Uruguay and scored in the 82nd minute. He also came on as a substitute in a match against Brazil.[5]

He was set to be naturalized in order to play for the Qatar national team by 2009. However, he neglected to mention that he had previously represented the Argentina under-20 team, rendering him ineligible to play for the Qatar team without special permission from FIFA.

However, the same scenario occurred in 2012. The Al-Arabi administration wanted to naturalize him so they could have an extra foreign player in their squad to participate in the AFC Champions League. Despite reports of Pisculichi's ineligibility being readily available, they continued with the naturalization process. He did not gain Qatari citizenship and the club's management were criticized by local media.[5][6]

Honours
River Plate
Vitória

Personal life

Pisculichi is of Croatian descent. His family Hispanicized their surname Piškulić (originally from the town of Novi Vinodolski) to its current spelling.

References
  1. Argentinos en el futbol del mundo (1ra Parte)
  2. "Mallorca add another Argentine". Sky Sports. 2006-01-05.
  3. "Argentine to quit Islanders". Sky Sports. 2006-11-30.
  4. Pisculichi se acerca al Burgos de Caselli, dobleamarilla.com.ar, 13 June 2019
  5. القضية السواء تنبش انفراداً لـ"استاد الدوحة" عمره 32 شهراً. (in Arabic). Estad Doha. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  6. حرمان الأرجنتيني بيسكوليتشي من الجنسية القطرية (in Arabic). SportsKSA. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
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