Giovani Lo Celso (born 9 April 1996) is an Argentine 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 an

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

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...

and the Argentina national team.

Club career

Rosario Central

Lo Celso is a youth product of

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central (), more commonly referred to as Rosario Central, or simply Central, is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on 24 December 1889, ...

. He made his league debut at 19 July 2015 against Vélez Sarsfield in a 0–0 home draw. On 28 February 2016, Lo Celso scored his first Rosario Central goal in a 3–0 victory over Colón, netting Rosario's first in the 6th minute. He then went on to score his second of the campaign in a 3–2 defeat to Vélez Sarsfield on 10 April 2016.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 26 July 2016, Lo Celso joined French giants

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

on a five-year deal until 2021, for a fee around the margin of £8.5m. He remained at Rosario Central on loan until 31 December 2016. He made his debut for the French side on 5 April 2017 in a

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

quarter final game against

US Avranches L’Union Sportive Avranches Mont Saint Michel, shortly known as US Avranches is a French Association football, football club based in Avranches, in the Departments of France, department of Manche, and founded in 1897. Since 2014, it plays in th ...

. He replaced

Adrien Rabiot Adrien Thibault Marie Rabiot (; born 3 April 1995) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille, Marseille and the France national football team, France nation ...

in the 63rd minute of a 4–0 away win. Lo Celso came on and assisted for Dani Alves’ goal in the UEFA Champions League match against

Celtic FC The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpos ...

to make the scoreline 7–1. He scored his first goal for PSG in a 3–2

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

win against

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

on 30 January 2018. On 8 May 2018, he scored as PSG won 2–0 against

Les Herbiers VF Les Herbiers Vendée Football is a French football club based in Les Herbiers, Vendée. It was founded in 1919. They play at the Stade Massabielle, which has a capacity of 5,000 people. The colours of the club are red and black. From the 2015 ...

to clinch the 2017–18

Real Betis

On 31 August 2018, Lo Celso joined

side

on a season-long loan with an option to buy. Betis triggered this option on 16 April 2019 and Lo Celso joined the club on a permanent basis. During his time at the club, Lo Celso made 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 8 August 2019, Lo Celso signed for

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

on a season-long loan with an option to buy, after a long summer of speculation over his future. He made his debut for Tottenham as a late substitute in the second

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

match of the season against

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

that ended 2–2, a match notable for a controversy over VAR and a new rule on handball introduced that season. After three substitute appearances for the club, Lo Celso injured his hip while on international duty for Argentina. After returning from injury, he made his first start for Tottenham, scoring his first goal for the club that kicked off a 4–0 win over

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

, which was the first away win for Tottenham in six months. On 14 January 2020, Lo Celso scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win for Spurs against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. Lo Celso's contract was made permanent on 28 January 2020 with the new deal running until the summer of 2025. In the 2020–21 season, Lo Celso scored his first goals of the season when he netted a brace in the 7–2 win against

Maccabi Haifa Maccabi Haifa () is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Basketball, Weightl ...

in a Europa League play-off match. On 21 November 2020, Lo Celso scored his first Premier League goal, 35 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the match against Manchester City, which helped secure a 2–0 win.

Loan to Villarreal

On 31 January 2022, Lo Celso joined

club

Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...

on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season. On 14 August 2022, he rejoined Villarreal on loan for the 2022–23 season. In November 2022, Lo Celso suffered a hamstring injury, which was successfully operated by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, Finland.

Return to Tottenham

On 26 November 2023, Lo Celso made his first Premier League start for Tottenham in over two years, scoring Tottenham's only goal in a 2–1 defeat to

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

. In the following game, Lo Celso scored his second goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–3 draw against Manchester City.

Return to Real Betis

On 30 August 2024, before the transfer window closed, Lo Celso departed Tottenham Hotspur and returned back to

, signing a four-year deal. He made his first notable impact after his return on 18 September 2024, scoring twice in a 2–1 league victory against Getafe, including a penalty and a deflected strike.

International career

Youth

Due to some impressive performances at Rosario Central, Lo Celso earned a call-up to the Argentina U23 squad for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. On 4 August 2016, Lo Celso made his Argentina U23 debut in a 2–0 defeat against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, replacing Cristian Espinoza in the 72nd minute.

Senior

On 11 November 2017, Lo Celso debuted for the Argentine senior squad in a 1–0 victory over

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

as a starter, only to be replaced by Alejandro Gómez in the 59th minute. In May 2018, Lo Celso was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

in Russia; he was later included in the final 23-man selection for the tournament. In May 2019, Lo Celso was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the

2019 Copa América The 2019 Copa América was the 46th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil and took place between 14 June and 7 Ju ...

. On 28 June, in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Lo Celso scored Argentina's second goal in a 2–0 victory over

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, which enabled his team to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. In June 2021, Lo Celso was once again included in Scaloni's final Argentina 28-man squad for the

2021 Copa América The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's association football, football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to ...

, which the team eventually won. He also played against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the

Finalissima The Finalissima or officially CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, formerly known as European/South American Nations Cup and also called Artemio Franchi Cup, is an intercontinental football match organised by CONMEBOL and UEFA and contested by th ...

, which Argentina won 3–0 at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, England on 1 June 2022. He was not included in the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

squad, due to a hamstring injury. After recovering from his injury, he returned to the team, being a usual in Scaloni's call-ups despite not having much game time in

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

. On 21 November 2023, in a game for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Brazil at the Estadio Maracana, he provided an assist from a corner kick to

Nicolás Otamendi Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi (born 12 February 1988) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre back, centre-back for Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica, Benfica, which he Captain (association football) ...

in what would be a 1-0 away win, which became the first time the latter had lost a qualifiers game in home condition. In June 2024, Lo Celso was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the

2024 Copa América The 2024 Copa América was the 48th edition of the Copa América, the quadrennial international men's association football, soccer championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in the United Sta ...

. On 14 July, in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

against

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, he came off the bench in the 97th minute of extra-time replacing

Enzo Fernández Enzo Jeremías Fernández (born 17 January 2001) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Chelsea and the Argentina national team. Primarily a central midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a defensive ...

. In the 112th minute, he provided the assist to Lautaro Martínez that ended up in the goal that would crown Argentina champions.

Personal life

Born in Argentina, Lo Celso also holds an Italian passport due to his Italian heritage. His younger brother

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

is also a professional footballer and currently plays for

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.''

Honours

Paris Saint-Germain *

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

: 2017–18 *

: 2016–17, 2017–18 *

: 2017–18 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Tottenham Hotspur *

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

runner-up: 2020–21 Betis *

UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...

runner-up: 2024–25 Argentina *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions The Finalissima or officially CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, formerly known as European/South American Nations Cup and also called Artemio Franchi Cup, is an intercontinental football match organised by CONMEBOL and UEFA and contested by th ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

References

External links

Profile
at the Real Betis website * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lo Celso, Giovani 1996 births Living people Footballers from Rosario, Santa Fe Argentine men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Rosario Central footballers Paris Saint-Germain FC players Real Betis players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Villarreal CF players Argentine Primera División players Ligue 1 players La Liga players Premier League players Argentina men's international footballers 2018 FIFA World Cup players 2019 Copa América players 2021 Copa América players 2024 Copa América players Olympic footballers for Argentina Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Copa América–winning players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent 21st-century Argentine sportsmen