Luciano Figueroa

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This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Figueroa and the second or maternal family name is Herrera.

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Luciano Figueroa
Personal information
Full name Luciano Gabriel Figueroa Herrera
Date of birth (1981-05-19) 19 May 1981 (age 42)
Place of birth Santa Fe, Argentina
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Retired
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Rosario Central 57 (35)
2003 Birmingham City 1 (0)
2004 Cruz Azul 33 (21)
2004–2006 Villarreal 26 (5)
2006 River Plate 7 (3)
2006–2010 Genoa 23 (3)
2008–2009 → Boca Juniors (loan) 17 (7)
2010–2011 Rosario Central 38 (12)
2011–2012 Emelec 34 (14)
2013 Panathinaikos 15 (6)
2014–2015 Johor Darul Takzim 36 (23)
Total 297 (132)
International career‡
2004–2005 Argentina 15 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 28, 2015
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of Oktober 14, 2014

Luciano Gabriel "Lucho" Figueroa Herrera (Spanish pronunciation: [luˈsjano fiɣeˈɾoa]; born 19 May 1981) is a retired Argentina international footballer who last played as a striker for Malaysia Super League team Johor Darul Takzim FC.

Club career

Figueroa was born in Santa Fe. He began his professional career with Primera División club Rosario Central, where he formed a partnership with César Delgado. In the 2003 Clausura, Figueroa finished as Argentina's leading goalscorer with 17 goals,[2] including scoring five in the last match of the season against an under-strength Boca Juniors.[3] This was his last season at Rosario Central. Both he and Delgado transferred overseas in the summer of 2003, with Figueroa joining English Premier League club Birmingham City for a fee of £2.5 million.[4]

Controversy arose when Spanish club Osasuna claimed that Figueroa had signed a contract with them before his move to Birmingham, thereby invalidating the transfer.[5] At the end of August 2003 FIFA ruled provisionally in Birmingham's favour,[6] but it was not until October that this ruling was finally confirmed.[7] Figueroa had been close to joining Rangers earlier that summer but the Glasgow club pulled out of the deal.[8]

Though Figueroa was scoring freely for Birmingham's reserve team, manager Steve Bruce believed he would struggle in the Premiership due to his physique.[9] After only one League appearance, as a late substitute in a 2–0 defeat of Portsmouth,[10] and one outing in the League Cup,[11] his contract was annulled[12] and he signed for Cruz Azul 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.[citation needed]

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 in November 2004.[13] The transfer fee was officially undisclosed, but was estimated in the media as €3 million.[14]

Figueroa made less of an impact at Villarreal. Even so, he helped the club to a third-place finish in La Liga in the 2004–05 season and contributed in the early rounds of Villarreal's progression to the semi-final of the 2005–06 Champions League – including scoring the club's first ever Champions League goal, against Everton in the third qualifying round.[citation needed]

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,[15] Figueroa returned to his home country. He joined River Plate, who bought 50% of the rights to the player.[16] 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.[citation needed]

Genoa

On 1 August 2006, Villarreal sold Figueroa to Genoa of Serie B for a reported $13-million fee. He signed a four-year contract with the club.[17] 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.[18]

Figueroa eventually made his debut for Genoa, by this time in Serie A, on 28 October 2007 as a second-half substitute against Fiorentina,[19] 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.[20]

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.[citation needed]

Rosario Central

After Genoa released the player, he returned to his first club, Rosario Central. After passing a medical examination on his knee, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract on 20 January 2010.[21][22][23]

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 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. He scored a goal in an away match against Olympiacos in a match that ended 1–1.

It was reported in June 2013 that Figueroa was to sign for Brazilian Série A side Náutico, but the deal fell through.[24]

On 12 September 2013, Figueroa signed once again with the Greens for one year.[25]

Johor Darul Takzim

Figueroa signed a three-year contract, reportedly worth $1.5 million annually, with Malaysia Super League team Johor Darul Takzim in December 2013. The transfer fee was $1m.[26] Figueroa scored his 1st goal in the 88th minute after a wonderful through pass from Safiq Rahim to give Johor Darul Ta'zim their first win, 2-0 against Perak FA for the opening season. His previous experiences with clubs in Europe and South America helped Johor Darul Ta'zim win their 1st league title for 2014 season with 11 league goals (22 goals overall). In 2015, he was named the 3rd South East Asia best foreign player who giving much helped Johor Darul Ta'zim to developed, created a lot of tactical and hardworking player which most of it ended 90 minutes. On 22 August 2015, he once again helped Johor Darul Ta'zim defends the league title for 2nd time in a row even they lost to Felda United F.C. by 2-1 and at the same day the title challenger Pahang FA lost 1-3 against Terengganu FA. On 31 October 2015, he helped JDT to win AFC Cup for the first time in the club history and made the club is most successfully season in 3 years.

International career

2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Final

Figueroa has appeared for the Argentina national football team while playing for Cruz Azul and Villarreal CF, performing impressively in the Copa América 2004 and the 2005 Confederations Cup – where only the Brazilian Adriano 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 cruciate injury deprived him of the chance to represent his country at the 2006 World Cup.[15]

Achievements

Club

Boca Juniors

Johor Darul Takzim F.C.

International

Argentina

Individual

References

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External links

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