Matías Emanuel Lequi (born 13 May 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a central defender.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Emanuel Lequi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 May 1981[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina[1] | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rosario Central | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Rosario Central | 21 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | River Plate | 40 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Atlético Madrid | 34 | (2) |
| 2004–2005 | Lazio | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Celta | 81 | (5) |
| 2009–2010 | Iraklis | 14 | (0) |
| 2011 | Las Palmas | 17 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Rosario Central | 35 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | All Boys | 14 | (0) |
| 2014 | Sportivo Luqueño | 21 | (8) |
| 2014–2015 | Aldosivi | 46 | (3) |
| 2016 | Sarmiento | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 338 | (22) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
Born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Lequi started his career with hometown side Rosario Central, then signed for Club Atlético River Plate where he won two consecutive Clausura titles. In 2003 he moved abroad, joining Atlético Madrid,[2] making his La Liga debut on 31 August in a 0–1 away loss against Sevilla FC[3] and only missing four matches during the season as the Colchoneros eventually finished seventh and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Subsequently, Lequi signed with Italy's S.S. Lazio,[4] going pretty much unnoticed during his one season-spell. For 2005–06 he returned to Spain, being loaned to RC Celta de Vigo; as the Galicians finished in sixth position and reached the UEFA Cup straight from Segunda División, he was heavily featured, scoring against Real Madrid (2–1 home defeat)[5] and former team Atlético (opening a 3–0 away win).[6]
After extensive negotiations, the deal with Celta was made permanent in late May 2006, for four years.[7] Lequi suffered relegation in the first season after his purchase and, with the club already in the second level, was sent off a total of four times in the league as they languished in 16th position; he was released in August 2008.[8]
Lequi spent the following months training on his own. In the 2009 summer transfer window, he moved to Greek side Iraklis Thessaloniki FC. On 19 January 2011, the free agent returned to Spain and signed a five-month with UD Las Palmas of the second tier.[9]
Honours edit
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2002, 2003
References edit
- ^ a b c "Matías Emanuel LEQUI". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "El Atlético de Madrid ficha al defensa argentino Matías Lequi" [Atlético de Madrid sign Argentine defender Matías Lequi] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 22 July 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ Marrero, David (1 September 2003). "Baptista frena en seco al Atlético" [Baptista stops Atlético in their tracks]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ Piervenanzi, Marco (September 2004). "Lazio: Definito l'ingaggio di Lequi" [Lazio: Lequi's purchase concluded] (in Italian). Supereva. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ González, Ángel (30 January 2006). "Ejercicio de supervivencia en Balaídos" [Exercise in survival at Balaídos]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "El Celta descuelga al Atlético de Europa" [Celta make Atlético lose grip on Europe]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 2 April 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "El difícil acuerdo con Lequi" [The difficult agreement with Lequi]. Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). 26 May 2006. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ "Matias Lequi" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "La Unión Deportiva Las Palmas ficha a los argentinos Lequi y Borzani" [Unión Deportiva Las Palmas sign Argentines Lequi and Borzani] (in Spanish). RTVC. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
External links edit
- Matías Lequi at BDFA (in Spanish)
- Argentine League statistics (in Spanish)
- Matías Lequi at BDFutbol
- Matías Lequi at Soccerway