Lucas Hernán Villalba (born 19 August 1994) 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 either a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

or a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

side Cruzeiro.

Career

Club

Villalba started his career with Independiente, making his debut in the

2012–13 Argentine Primera División season The 2012–13 Primera División season was the 122nd season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. It started on August 3, 2012 and ended on June 29, 2013. Twenty teams competed in the league, eighteen returning from the 2011–12 sea ...

against Godoy Cruz. He then moved to

Atlético Tucumán Club Atlético Tucumán (mostly known as Atlético Tucumán) is an Argentine football club based in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán of Tucumán Province. Although several sports are practised at the club, Atlético is mostly known for its footba ...

in 2016 on loan and subsequently played 22 times in the

Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...

. On 10 January 2017, Villalba joined fellow Primera División side

Huracán Huracán (; ; , "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity. He also caused th ...

on loan. In Feb, 2024 he signed a loan with

Cruzeiro Esporte Clube Cruzeiro Esporte Clube () is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Cruzeiro is the greatest team of Minas Gerais. Although competing in a number of different sports, Cruzeiro is mostly known for its as ...

. After playing 35 matches for the Brazilian side in 2024, Cruzeiro announced on 3 January 2025 that the team signed Villalba permanently, offering a two-year contract.

Cruzeiro

Lucas Martín Villalba was announced as a player for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in February 2024. The Argentine defender joined the club on loan from Argentinos Juniors, with a contract until the end of the 2024 season and a purchase option included at the end of the loan. His signing addressed a squad need for a left-footed defender capable of playing both as a centre-back and as a left-back. Villalba made his debut and accumulated appearances under manager Nicolás Larcamón and, subsequently, continued to be utilized by manager Fernando Seabra. As of May 2024, Villalba has participated in matches for the Campeonato Mineiro, Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro, and Copa Sudamericana, playing predominantly as a centre-back and, occasionally, as a left-back. Lucas Martín Villalba gained more prominence following the arrival of head coach Leonardo Jardim, improving the performance metrics for his position. After João Marcelo's injury, he took over as a starting center-back alongside Fabrício Bruno for Leonardo Jardim's team, leading Cruzeiro to a commanding lead in the Brasileirão. He scored his first goal for Cruzeiro in a 4-1 rout of Grêmio at Mineirão Stadium on July 13th.

International

Villalba has won caps for Argentina at

U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , a sloop of the Royal Navy * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Great truncated cuboctahedron * Meizu U20, a smartphone * Roland U-20, a synthesizer * Small nucleolar RNA S ...

level.

Career statistics

Club

References

1994 births Living people Footballers from Buenos Aires Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentine Primera División players Primera Nacional players Club Atlético Independiente footballers Atlético Tucumán footballers Club Atlético Huracán footballers Club Atlético Aldosivi footballers Argentinos Juniors footballers Cruzeiro EC players Men's association football defenders Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil 21st-century Argentine sportsmen {{Argentina-footy-defender-1990s-stub