Lucas Torreira

Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlukas toˈrejɾa]; born 11 February 1996) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid, on loan from Arsenal, and the Uruguay national team.

"Torreira" redirects here. For the handball player, see Devora Torreira.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Torreira and the second or maternal family name is Di Pascua.
Lucas Torreira
Torreira with Arsenal in 2019
Personal information
Full name Lucas Sebastián Torreira Di Pascua[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996.[2]
Place of birth Fray Bentos, Uruguay
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Atlético Madrid
(on loan from Arsenal)
Number 5
Youth career
2010–2013 18 de Julio
2013 Montevideo Wanderers
2013–2014 Pescara
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Pescara 5 (0)
2015–2018 Sampdoria 71 (4)
2015–2016 → Pescara (loan) 29 (4)
2018– Arsenal 63 (3)
2020– → Atlético Madrid (loan) 10 (1)
National team‡
2018– Uruguay 26 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2020

Club career

Early career

Torreira started his youth football career at hometown club I.A. 18 de Julio of Fray Bentos. In 2013, he joined Montevideo Wanderers' youth team before moving to Italy where he joined Pescara's youth team.

Pescara
Torreira playing for Pescara in 2014

Before the 2014–15 season, Torreira was called up for Pescara's first team and, on 25 October 2014, he sat on the bench for the first time. He made his senior debut in Serie B on 16 May 2015 against Varese, playing the game as a starter. He played 58 minutes before being replaced with Matteo Politano.

Sampdoria

On 1 July 2015, Torreira was transferred to Sampdoria for €1.5 million, but he remained with Pescara on loan for the 2015–16 season to gain first-team experience.[3] On 2 July, his loan to Pescara became official.[4] On 9 August 2015, Torreira scored his first professional goal against F.C. Südtirol in the 2015–16 Coppa Italia.

After the Pescara loan ended, Torreira returned to Sampdoria on 1 July 2016. On 21 August 2016, Torreira made his Serie A debut in their opening game against Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.[5] He started the game and played the entirety of the 90+ minutes on the field.

He became a regular for Sampdoria in the 2016–17 season, and continued showing his importance to the team in the 2017–18 season; scoring vital goals, including the second goal in Sampdoria's 3–2 win over Juventus in November.

Arsenal

On 10 July 2018, Torreira joined English club Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £26 million.[6] Torreira was given the number 11 shirt, previously worn by Mesut Özil, who took the vacant number 10 following the departure of Jack Wilshere.[7]

2018–19: Debut season, European runner-up

Torreira made his Premier League debut on 12 August, coming on as a substitute on the 70th minute in a 2–0 defeat to Manchester City.[8] Torreira registered his first assist of the season, by setting up Alexandre Lacazette's winning goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City.[9] Torreira made his full-debut and his Europa League debut for Arsenal in the 4–2 win over FC Vorskla Poltava on 2 September, before being replaced in the 57th minute by Matteo Guendouzi.[10] Torreira's performance in Arsenal's 1–1 draw with Liverpool drew particularly high praise from fans and pundits alike, picking up the man-of-the-match award.[11] On 2 December, Torreira scored his first Arsenal goal and picked up another man-of-the-match award against Tottenham Hotspur when he latched on to a pass from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to slot the ball past Hugo Lloris to give Arsenal a fourth goal in a 4–2 North London derby victory. A week later, on 8 December, Torreira scored a late 83rd-minute winner against Huddersfield Town with a bicycle kick, giving him his second goal in as many games at the Emirates Stadium. In the match, Torreira was also awarded his fifth consecutive Arsenal Man of the Match performance.[12] Torreira was dismissed in stoppage time, during the club's reverse fixture against Tottenham at Wembley, after a late challenge on Tottenham, defender Danny Rose, the match ended 1–1 and was Torreira's first red card for Arsenal, although Arsenal attempted to appeal the ban, their appeal was rejected by the FA, this meant that Torreira's ban would still result in a three-match ban, meaning Torreira would miss Arsenal's games against Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton.[13][14] ESPN's Bill Barnwell named Torreira the third best signing of the Premier League season.[15]

2019–20: FA Cup win

Torreira made his first appearance of the season in Arsenal's 2–1 win over Burnley.[16] Torreira scored his first goal of the season in Arsenal's 3–1 defeat to Liverpool after replacing Dani Ceballos in the 61st minute.[17] He struggled for playing time early on in the season, but regained a starting position under new Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. On 2 March, Torreira suffered a presumably season-ending ankle injury in an FA Cup win against Portsmouth.[18] However, the Premier League suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic gave Torreira enough time to heal and return to fitness by the time the season restarted in June. He played only sparingly for the rest of the season.

2020–21: Loan to Atlético Madrid

On 5 October 2020, Torreira joined Atlético Madrid on a season-long loan.[19]

International career
Torreira playing for Uruguay at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Torreira was born in Uruguay, and is of Spanish descent through his paternal grandfather from Galicia.[20] He holds a Spanish passport, and was scouted by the senior Italy national football team before he was capped by Uruguay.[21]

Torreira was called up to full Uruguay squad for the 2018 China Cup in March 2018.[22] He made his debut in the 2–0 win over the Czech Republic in the China Cup semi-final.[23]

In June 2018, he was named in Uruguay's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[24] The tournament served as a breakthrough for Torreira, who played in all five of Uruguay's games.[25]

Style of play

Upon signing for Arsenal in 2018, The Independent's Jack Austin stated "Torreira is exactly the kind of no-nonsense midfielder the club have been craving", adding that in Uruguay colours during the 2018 World Cup "he went about his job as the deep-lying pivot in the middle of the park with none of the fuss and all of the discipline of a player who has built a tidy reputation for himself in Serie A", while assessing his chief weaknesses as a lack of height in aerial duels and little goal threat.[26]

WhoScored notes that Torreira is a player who likes to shoot from distance and often gets fouled. They also note that he likes to play short passes and make tackles.[27]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 21 January 2021[28]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Pescara 2014–15 Serie B 5000—3080
Pescara (loan) 2015–16 Serie B 29421—31346
Total 34421—61426
Sampdoria 2016–17 Serie A 35010——360
2017–18 Serie A 36420——384
Total 71430——744
Arsenal 2018–19 Premier League 34240120—502
2019–20 Premier League 2914160—392
Total 63381180—894
Atlético Madrid (loan) 2020–21 La Liga 812040—141
Career total 176121522206121915

1 Other tournaments include Serie B Promotion playoffs

International
As of match played 17 November 2020[29]
Uruguay
YearAppsGoals
2018130
2019100
202030
Total260

Honours

Arsenal

Uruguay

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of players: Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  2. "Lucas Torreira: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  3. "DONE DEAL: Sampdoria sign Pescara midfielder Lucas Torreira". Tribal Football. 1 July 2015.
  4. "Torreira out to earn his Samp stripes: "I'm here for the long haul"". U.C. Sampdoria. 10 July 2016.
  5. "U.C. Sampdoria Serie A TIM 2016/2017: Empoli – Sampdoria". U.C. Sampdoria. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. "Arsenal: Lucas Torreira agrees deal & Matteo Guendouzi set for medical". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018.
  7. "Lucas Torreira to join Arsenal". Arsenal F.C.
  8. Begley, Emlyn (12 August 2018). "Arsenal 0–2 Manchester City: Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva give champions win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  9. Pearlman, Michael (2 September 2018). "Cardiff City 2–3 Arsenal". BBC Sport.
  10. Sutcliffe, Steve (20 September 2018). "Arsenal 4–2 Vorskla Poltava". BBC Sport.
  11. Stadium, Barney Ronay at the Emirates (4 November 2018). "Lucas Torreira, the Mighty Insect, embodies Arsenal's new grit – Barney Ronay". The Guardian.
  12. Skelton, Jack (8 December 2018). "Arsenal 1–0 Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport.
  13. McNulty, Phil (2 March 2019). "Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  14. Ouzia, Malik (6 March 2019). "Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira handed three-game ban after appeal rejected by FA". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  15. "Bill Barnwell's Premier League Winners and Losers, 2018-19". ESPN.com. 14 May 2019.
  16. "Aubameyang hits winner against Burnley" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  17. "Salah double seals easy win for Reds" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. Simpson, Christopher. "Arsenal Confirm Lucas Torreira Out for 8 to 10 Weeks Among Injury Updates". Bleacher Report.
  19. "Lucas Torreira joins Atletico Madrid on loan". Arsenal. 5 October 2020.
  20. "La increíble historia de esfuerzo de Lucas Torreira contada por su padre". El Observador (in Spanish). 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  21. "Lucas Torreira, el cinco más completo del Calcio". Sphera Sports. 29 September 2017.
  22. "Torreira earns first Uruguayan call-up". Get Italian Football News.
  23. "Torreira makes Uruguay debut in China Cup victory over Czech Republic". U.C. Sampdoria. 23 March 2018.
  24. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – Final 23-man lists". Goal.
  25. "2018 FIFA World Cup™ - News - Torreira, Uruguay's little giant - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com.
  26. Austin, Jack (10 July 2018). "Arsenal transfer news: This is what Lucas Torreira will bring to Unai Emery's midfield, World Cup 2018 scouting report". The Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  27. "Lucas Torreira Football Statistics". WhoScored.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  28. "L. Torreira: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  29. "Torreira, Lucas". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  30. McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  31. Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  32. "Thailand vs. Uruguay - 25 March 2019 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
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