Luciano Figueroa

Infobox Football biography
playername = Lucho Figueroa


fullname = Luciano Gabriel Figueroa Herrera
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1981|5|19
cityofbirth = Santa Fe
countryofbirth = Argentina
height = height|m=1.83
nickname = Lucho
position = Striker
currentclub = Boca Jrs
clubnumber = 9
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2001–2003
2003
2004
2004–2006
2006
2006–2008
2008–present
clubs = Rosario Central
Birmingham City
Cruz Azul
Villarreal
→ River Plate (loan)
Genoa
→ Boca Juniors (loan)
caps(goals) = 57 (35)
01 0(0)
33 (21)
40 0(9)
10 0(3)
21 0(3)
00 0(0)
nationalyears = 2004–present
nationalteam = Argentina
nationalcaps(goals) = 20 (12)
pcupdate = 3 May 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 18 January 2006

Luciano Gabriel "Lucho" Figueroa Herrera (born May 19, 1981 in Santa Fe, Argentina) is an Argentine association football player who currently plays as a striker for Boca Juniors.

Club career

Figueroa began his professional career with Rosario Central of Argentina, where he formed a partnership with César Delgado. In the 2003 Clausura, Figueroa finished as Argentina's leading goalscorer with 17 goals, [cite web
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/argtops.html |author = Castro Serna, Emmanuel |title = Argentina - List of Topscorers |publisher = RSSSF |date = 2005-07-02 |accessdate = 2007-07-19 ] including scoring five in the last match of the season against an under-strength Boca Juniors. [cite web
url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2003/07/06/americas_rdp/ |title=Boca celebrate in one stadium, routed 7-2 in another |work=Sports Illustrated |date=2003-07-06 |accessdate=2008-01-28] This was his last season at Rosario Central, for both he and Delgado moved overseas in the summer of 2003, with Figueroa joining English Premier League club Birmingham City for a fee of £2.5 million.

Controversy arose when Spanish club Osasuna claimed that Figueroa had signed a contract with them before moving to Birmingham, thereby invalidating the transfer. [cite news
url = http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/birmingham/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/03/08/18/SOCCER_Birmingham_Figueroa.html&TEAMHD=birmingham |author = Esteva, Robert |title = Confusion over Figueroa deal |publisher = 365 Media Group |date = 2003-08-18 |accessdate = 2007-07-19] At the end of August 2003 FIFA ruled provisionally in Birmingham's favour, [cite news
url = http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birmingham/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=13312606%26siteid=50002-name_page.html
author = Nursey, James |title = Blues win first round in Fig fight |work = Birmingham Post |date = 2003-08-20 |accessdate = 2007-07-19] but it was not until October that this ruling was finally confirmed. [cite news
url = http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/globalsport/content_objectid=13567434_method=full_siteid=50002_headline=-Figueroa-cleared-to-flourish-at-Blues-name_page.html |author = Nursey, James |title = Figueroa cleared to flourish at Blues |work = Birmingham Post |date = 2003-10-29 |accessdate = 2007-07-19]

Though Figueroa was scoring freely for Birmingham's reserve team, manager Steve Bruce believed he would struggle in the Premiership due to his physique, [cite news
url = http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birmingham/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=13754946%26siteid=50002-name_page.html |author = Scott, Ged |title = Figueroa flops back across the Atlantic |work = Birmingham Post |date = 2003-12-24 | accessdate = 2007-07-19] so after only one League appearance as a late substitute for Birmingham, his contract was annulled [cite news
url = http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birmingham/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=13755334%26siteid=50002-name_page.html |author = Tattum, Colin |title = Blues write off £2.5m Lucho |work = Birmingham Mail |date = 2006-12-24 |accessdate = 2007-07-19] and he moved to Cruz Azul of Mexico, 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. His exceptional performances for Cruz Azul led to a transfer to Spain, signing for Villarreal in November 2004 [cite web |url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal.php?nombreModulo=noticiasDetalle&idnoticia=586&idseccion=7&idmenu=4&idsubmenu=75 |title=El internacional argentino Luciano Figueroa, nuevo jugador del Villarreal C.F. |publisher=Villarreal CF |language=Spanish |date=2004-11-24 |accessdate=2008-09-12] for a fee of £2.1 million.

Figueroa made less of an impact at Villarreal, though he helped the club to a third-place finish in La Liga in 2004–05 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.

In January 2006, apparently concerned that his lack of playing time would adversely affect his chances of going to the 2006 World Cup, cite web |url = http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/news/newsid=34821.html |title = Figueroa upbeat despite tough break |work = FIFA World Cup 2006 Official Site |publisher = FIFA |date = 2006-04-18 |accessdate = 2007-07-19] Figueroa returned to his home country on loan to River Plate. He started well, scoring three goals in his first seven games in the 2006 Clausura, but on March 5 2006 he suffered a cruciate ligament injury which effectively put paid to his career at River.

On August 1 2006, Villarreal sold Figueroa to Genoa of Serie B for a reported fee of $13 million; he signed a four-year contract with the club. [cite news |url=http://www.esmas.com/deportes/futbolinternacional/555361.html |title=Luciano Figueroa se incorpora al Génova |author=AP |work=esmas.com |language = Spanish |date=2006-08-01 |accessdate=2008-09-12] Though still not recovered from his injury, medical opinion was that he should be fit to resume playing 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 out for the season. [cite news |url = http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=504484 |title = La mala racha continúa |publisher = ESPN Deportes |language = Spanish |date = 2006-11-22 |accessdate = 2007-07-19]

Figueroa eventually made his debut for Genoa, by this time in Serie A, on October 28 2007 as a second-half substitute against Fiorentina, [cite web
url = http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sa0708/gen-fio.html |title = Genoa 0 - 0 Fiorentina |work = Football Italia |publisher = Channel 4 |date = 2007-10-28 |accessdate = 2007-12-13] 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. [cite web
url = http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sa0708/gen-sie.html |title = Genoa 1 - 3 Siena |work = Football Italia |publisher = Channel 4 |date = 2007-12-09 |accessdate = 2007-12-13]

International career

Figueroa has appeared for the Argentina national football team, 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.

Honours

2004 Summer Olympics: Gold Medal

2005 FIFA Confederations Cup: Runner-up

2004 Copa América: Runner-up

2003 Clausura (Argentina): Top Scorer

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=35717|name=Luciano Figueroa
* [http://touchline.onthespot.co.uk/guardian/StatsCentre.asp?Lang=0&CTID=13&CPID=19&pStr=Player&PLID=68479&TEID=196 Statistics] at Guardian Stats Centre
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=951&pn=Luciano_Gabriel_Figueroa Player profile and stats] at FootballDatabase