Diego Lugano Uruguayan Footballer Born 1980 in Canelones

Early life

Diego Alfredo Lugano Morena was born on 2 November 1980 in Canelones, Uruguay. He began playing for his hometown club Libertad, where his father had also played, and made his first-team debut in December 1998. In 1999 he moved to Club Nacional de Football in Montevideo, and later spent a loan season at Plaza Colonia. He stands 188 cm tall and played as a centre-back. He is nicknamed Tota.

Career

Lugano arrived at Sao Paulo FC in Brazil in 2003. The club's president signed him without first consulting the head coach, which earned him the nickname "the President's Man" among supporters. He became a regular starter after the coach left late that year. In 2005 Sao Paulo won the Campeonato Paulista, the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan, and Lugano was named South America's best defender that year. The club also reached the Copa Libertadores final in 2006.

On 21 August 2006 he joined Fenerbahce in Turkey for a reported fee of 7.5 million euros. He and Edu Dracena formed the defensive core of the side that won the league in the club's centenary year. He was known for scoring with headers from set pieces and became one of the team's captains. After a derby against Galatasaray in April 2009 in which he was sent off, he was suspended for five weeks. He signed a new four-year contract in 2009, and the club won the Super Lig in 2006-07 and 2010-11 during his stay, as well as the Turkish Super Cup in 2007 and 2009.

Fenerbahce announced on 27 August 2011 that he was leaving for Paris Saint-Germain for 3 million euros. He made only twelve appearances in his first French season. In January 2013 he went on loan to Malaga until the end of June, and because he was not registered for PSG's Champions League squad he was free to play in Europe for his new club. In August 2013 he signed a two-year contract with West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, and scored his first goal for the club on 20 January 2014, an equalising header against Everton. West Bromwich announced his release in May 2014.

In March 2015 he signed a short-term contract with the Swedish club BK Hacken. In July of that year he joined Cerro Porteno in Paraguay, saying he wanted to return to South America and be closer to home. He scored five goals in sixteen games for the club, and a Paraguayan newspaper named him the most popular player in Paraguayan football in December 2015. In January 2016 he agreed to leave and rejoined Sao Paulo, where roughly a thousand supporters met him at Guarulhos Airport. In January 2018 he took up the post of director of institutional relations at the club, which marked the end of his playing career.

International career

Lugano made 95 appearances for Uruguay between 2003 and 2014. He was given the captain's armband for the first time in May 2006, before a friendly against England at Old Trafford, and captained the team for the next eight years. He played at two FIFA World Cups, two Copa America tournaments and one Confederations Cup. At the 2007 Copa America his kick was saved in the penalty shoot-out against Brazil in the semi-final, and he was sent off in the third-place match against Mexico.

He scored his first international goal in a 1-1 draw with Venezuela during qualification for the 2010 World Cup, and added the only goal of a 1-0 win in Costa Rica in the inter-continental play-off. At the 2010 World Cup Uruguay finished fourth under his captaincy, and he was named the tournament's best captain. In 2011 he led the team to victory at the Copa America, playing all six games. He scored his ninth international goal against Nigeria at the 2013 Confederations Cup, where Uruguay placed fourth. At the 2014 World Cup he played only the opening match, a 3-1 defeat by Costa Rica, and missed the rest of the tournament. He was left out of the squad after that and did not appear at the 2015 Copa America.

Recognition

Lugano won the Uruguayan league with Nacional in 2000 and 2001, and the Brazilian Serie A with Sao Paulo in 2006. His honours at Sao Paulo and Fenerbahce are listed above, and he won the 2011 Copa America with Uruguay. He was included in the Brazilian Serie A team of the year for 2005. A sports complex in Canelones carries his name.

Personal life

Lugano is the father of Nicolas Lugano and Thiago Lugano. Nicolas came through the Fenerbahce youth teams, and Thiago was born in Istanbul.