Daniel Lajud Martínez (; born 22 January 1999), also known as Daniel Kuri (), is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a winger or

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for Greek club

Panetolikos Panetolikos Football Club (), or with its full name officially romanized as Panaitolikós Gymnastikós Filekpaideftikós Sýllogos (''; Pan- Aetolian Gymnastic and Educational Club''), is a Greek professional football club. It is based in Agrini ...

and the Lebanon national team. Coming through the youth system, Lajud began his senior career with

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

, scoring on his

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

debut in 2018. He was sent on loan to fellow Liga MX clubs

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

and

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

in 2019, before moving to

Liga de Expansión MX Liga de Expansión MX, also known as Liga BBVA Expansión MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the second level of the Mexican football league system. It was founded in 2020 as part of the Mexi ...

side

Tampico Madero Club Jaiba Brava, formerly known as Tampico Madero, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in Tampico and Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, that plays in Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football ...

in 2020, with whom he won the Guardianes 2020. After a one-season spell at Raya2, Monterrey's

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

, Lajud left Monterrey for Atlante in 2022, winning the Apertura 2022 and Clausura 2024. Born in Mexico, Lajud is of Lebanese descent through his father and was called up to the Lebanon national team in 2022. He represented Lebanon in the

2023 Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 2019, with hosts Qatar t ...

Club career

Monterrey and loans

Lajud joined

's youth academy in 2014, progressing through their under-15, under-17 and under-20 teams. He registered to Monterrey's senior team in the Clausura 2018 Copa MX, making his competitive debut on 20 February 2018, in a 2–1 win against

Dorados Club Deportivo Dorados de Sinaloa, simply known as Dorados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Culiacán, Sinaloa. It plays in the Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football. History Dorados de Sinaloa ...

. Lajud made his league debut in the

on 20 October 2018 in a 2–1 win against

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...

; he was substituted in during the 72nd minute and scored the winning goal in the 84th minute. In January 2019, Lajud was sent on loan to

in the

, and then to

six months later. In January 2020, Lajud moved to

on loan, with whom he won the Guardianes 2020. During the 2021–22 season, Lajud played for Raya2, Monterrey's

in the Liga de Expansión MX. He was released by Monterrey in summer 2022.

Atlante

On 28 June 2022, Lajud joined Atlante. He made his debut two days later as a starter in a 3–0 home win against Atlético La Paz; after the end of the match, Lajud proposed to his girlfriend. On 13 July, Lajud scored his first goal for Atlante in a 3–1 win against

Cancún Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito J ...

. He scored consecutive braces in a 5–0 win against

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala, is one of the 32 federal entities that comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tlaxcala, 60 municipalities and t ...

and a 2–2 draw against

Cimarrones de Sonora The Cimarrones de Sonora Fútbol Club is a Mexican football club that plays in the Liga Premier de México. The club is based in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. History The "Cimarrones de Sonora" were born in 2013, when the "Rays" of Poblado Miguel ...

, on 5 and 8 September, respectively. After defeating

Celaya Celaya (; Otomi: ) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The muni ...

in the final, Layun helped Atlante win the Apertura 2022. In the first matchday of the Clausura 2023, Lajud scored a brace against

Alebrijes de Oaxaca Alebrijes de Oaxaca Fútbol Club is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, that plays in Liga de Expansión MX, the second level division of Mexican football league system, Mexican football. T ...

in a 4–0 win on 5 January 2023. He scored another brace on 31 January, helping his side win 3–0 against Mineros de Zacatecas. Atlante eventually finished semi-finalists of the Clausura 2023. Lajud scored 13 goals in 39 games during the 2022–23 season. In the 2023–24 season, Lajud scored eight goals in 36 games, helping Atlante finish runners-up in the Apertura 2023 and champions of the Clausura 2024.

Panetolikos

On 2 August 2024, Lajud signed a two-year contract with

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

club

International career

On 19 September 2022, he obtained a Lebanese passport in order to play for the Lebanon national team. Lajud was first called up by coach Aleksandar Ilić ahead of Lebanon's friendly fixture against

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, United Arab Emirates on 19 November 2022. He made his debut as a starter, with the match ending in a 2–0 defeat. In December 2023, Lajud was included in the Lebanese squad for the

2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...

Style of play

Mainly a left winger, Lajud can also play as an

. He is known for his speed and powerful mid-range

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

Personal life

Lajud is of Lebanese descent through his father. Lajud's brother, Rodrigo, is also a footballer. On 30 June 2022, he proposed to his girlfriend at

Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: Sports City Stadium) is a 34,253-seat multi-purpose stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. The facility is used for association football matches and for American football as well. The Taz ...

, Atlante's home stadium, following his club debut.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Tampico Madero *

: Guardianes 2020 Atlante * Liga de Expansión MX: Apertura 2022, Clausura 2024

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lajud, Daniel 1999 births Living people Footballers from Veracruz (city) Mexican people of Lebanese descent Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Lebanese people of Mexican descent Mexican men's footballers Lebanese men's footballers Men's association football wingers Men's association football midfielders C.F. Monterrey players Querétaro F.C. footballers Club Puebla players Club Jaiba Brava footballers Raya2 Expansión players Atlante F.C. footballers Panetolikos F.C. players Liga MX players Liga de Expansión MX players Mexican expatriate men's footballers Mexican expatriate sportspeople in Greece Lebanese expatriate men's footballers Lebanese expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Lebanon men's international footballers International sportspeople born abroad 2023 AFC Asian Cup players 21st-century Mexican sportsmen