Hernán Pablo Losada (born 9 May 1982) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder.
As a player, Losada was known for his beautiful dribbles and fine passes, according to Belgian media. During his time in Belgium, Losada played for Beerschot for 3 separate periods.
Following his retirement, Losada became an assistant manager and later head coach of the reserves at his former club Beerschot. In 2019, he was promoted to manager of the first team and led the club to promotion to the Belgian First Division A. In January 2021, he left his role at Beerschot to take the head coach position at MLS side D.C. United.
Club career Club Atlético Independiente Losada started his career at Club Atlético Independiente in the Primera Division Argentina in 2000 after joining the club from Barracas Central following a recommendation from Nito Veiga. He then signed his first professional contract with the club.
After progressing through the youth ranks for the side, Losada was called up to the first team in October 2003 and made his debut for Club Atlético Independiente on 25 October 2003, in a 2–1 loss against Rosario Central. He then scored his first goal for the club on 5 December 2003, in a 2–1 win over Atlético de Rafaela. Then, on 13 February 2004, he scored twice in a 4–1 win over Cienciano in the Copa Libertadores. For the rest of the 2003–04 season, Losada continued to remain in the first team, playing in a number of matches and scoring two more goals. At the end of the season, he went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring five times in all competitions. In the summer of 2004, Losada signed a contract with the club.
Ahead of the 2004–2005 season, Losada was linked with a move away from Club Atlético Independiente but terms were not agreed upon with an unknown party and Losada remained with Independiente. Losada fell out of form and struggled to fight for his place in the first team. Despite this, he remained involved in a number of matches and scored his first goal of the season on 22 September 2004 in a 2–1 loss against Gimnasia de La Plata. A month later, on 31 October 2004, Losada scored his second goal of the season in a 3–1 loss against Club Atlético Banfield. Losada would go on to score 2 goals in twenty–four appearances across all competitions during the 2004–05 season.
Universidad de Chile On 3 August 2005, he was sold to Chilean Primera División side Universidad de Chile. He was placed on a loan list by the club before joining Universidad de Chile. However, due to his poor performance, Losada only made six appearances for the club.
Germinal Beerschot On 30 May 2006, Losada moved to Belgium to sign for Germinal Beerschot on a four–year contract. He later reflected on a move to Germinal Beerschot, saying that it was an honor to play for a club in Europe and that it made him a better footballer.
Losada made his Germinal Beerschot debut on 5 August 2006 when he came on as a substitute for Daniel Quinteros in a 1–0 loss against Anderlecht. In his fourth match for Germinal Beerschot, Losada scored a hat-trick against Excelsior Mouscron in a 6–2 victory. After joining the club, Losada quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side. During the last game of the season, Losada scored twice in a 3–0 win over K.S.V. Roeselare. At the end of the 2006–07 season, having made twenty–eight appearances and scoring six times in all competitions, Losada signed a four–year contract with the club.
Losada scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 2–1 loss against Genk on 25 August 2007. Losada started every match of the 2007–08 season until suffering an injury that caused him to miss one match. He then scored on his return from injury on 27 October 2007, in a 2–1 win over Westerlo. Losada helped the side win eight league matches in a row between 27 October 2007 and 24 December 2007 during which he scored against Anderlecht, Sint-Truidense, KV Mechelen and Excelsior Mouscron. By the end of the year his performance was praised due to his display in goals and assists. He later added three more goals in the 2007–08 season. Losada quickly established himself as a fan favourite due to his performance. Losada missed 6 weeks at the end of the 2007–08 season due to ankle injury but returned to finish the season. During the 2007–08 season, Losada made thirty appearances and scored ten times in all competitions.
RSC Anderlecht After Germinal Beerschot accepted a bid for him he agreed a four-season contract with the Belgian club Anderlecht on 20 May 2008. The transfer move was completed on 4 June 2008.
Losada made his RSC Anderlecht debut on 30 July 2008, playing 82 minutes before coming off as a substitute, in a 2–1 loss against BATE Borisov in the second round of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Qualification Round. However, Anderlecht were eliminated from the competition after drawing 2–2 in the second leg. A week later, on 16 August 2008, Losada made his league debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute in a 3–0 win over Cercle Brugge. However, he soon found himself on the substitute bench in a number of matches. He started in the next three matches between 30 August 2008 and 19 September 2008 before suffering an injury that saw him miss one match. After recovering Losada returned to the substitute bench. In his first meeting against his former club, Germinal Beerschot, on 2 November 2008, Losada scored his first goal against them, in a 3–1 win. Nine days later, on 11 November 2008, he scored again, in a 3–1 win over R.F.C. Tournai in the Round of 16 of Belgian Cup. For the rest of the 2008–09 season Losada spent his time on the substitute bench, mostly coming on as a substitute. By January, he was linked with a return to Germinal Beerschot but wasn't interested in coming back. Afterwards, Losada continued to remain in and out of the first team. At the end of the 2008–09 season, which saw the club finish second in the league, he went on to make twenty–five appearances and scored twice in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, the pre–season saw Losada plagued with injuries and he remained out of the first team for the side.
Loan Spells from RSC Anderlecht On 3 August 2009, Losada joined Eredivisie side Heerenveen on a season–long deal, with an option to buy at the end of the season. He started on his Heerenveen debut when he scored on 15 August 2009, in a 1–0 win over SBV Vitesse. Since joining the club, Losada established himself in the starting eleven for the side, although he faced tough competition for the midfield position. He then scored two more goals by the end of 2009, including against Hertha BSC in the UEFA Europa League. It was announced on 30 March 2010 that the club had decided against signing him on a permanent basis at the end of the 2009–10 season. A few days after the announcement, Losada scored twice, in a 4–1 win over Sparta Rotterdam. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Losada went on to make thirty–eight appearances, scoring six times in all competitions.
On 29 July 2010, Losada signed for Charleroi on a season–long loan deal. Coincidentally, he made his debut for the club against his parent club, Anderlecht, which saw both sides draw 0–0 on 7 August 2010. He then scored his first goal for the club on 22 August 2010, in a 3–1 loss against Gent. However, in a 1–0 loss against Germinal Beerschot on 11 September 2010, Losada was sent–off for a foul on Martijn Monteyne, resulting in a one–match suspension. After missing one match, he returned to the starting lineup against Standard Liège in a 2–1 loss on 22 September 2010. Since joining the club, he established himself in the starting eleven for the side. After a two-month goal drought, he ended the drought when he scored in a 2–0 win over Germinal Beerschot on 2 February 2011. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Losada went on to make thirty appearances, scoring six times in all competitions. After returning to his parent club Anderlecht, he stated that there was no chance of him returning to the club despite having a year left to his contract.
Beerschot AC On 20 May 2011, Losada rejoined Germinal Beerschot (which had by now changed its name to Beerschot AC) on a four–year contract. The transfer move reportedly cost 750,000 euros. Upon re-joining the club, he said the club's supporters were a big factor for this decision. However, six months into his time at Beerschot AC Losada found himself in a dispute with his former club, Anderlecht. The club had to pay Anderlecht the transfer fee in the end. Six years after the situation, a court ruled in favour of Losada, which saw the club paying him 15 percent of the transfer fee of 500,000 euros.
Losada made his debut for Beerschot AC, playing the whole game in a 2–2 draw against Genk on 6 August 2011. He then scored his first goals in a follow-up match, in a 3–1 win over Westerlo in a follow-up match; and scoring again Lierse in a 1–1 draw on 19 August 2011, adding his goal tally to three by the end of August. Since joining the club, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side. He formed a partnership with Sherjill MacDonald in a forward position. In a match against his former club Anderlecht on 25 September 2011, Losada set up a goal for Roni Porokara and then scored before being sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 3–2 loss. After serving a one match ban, he scored twice on his return on 15 October 2011, in a 4–2 win over Sint-Truidense. He also played a role for assisting in a number of matches by the end of 2011. It wasn't until on 21 January 2012 when he scored twice and set up one of the goals, in a 4–0 win over Cercle Brugge. In the league's Group Stage for the Europa League Play–Off's, Losada played all six matches and scored three goals against Lokeren and Zulte Waregem (twice), both of the matches were victories. At the end of the 2011–12 season, where he made thirty–seven appearances and scored thirteen goals in competitions at his first season, Losada was awarded the club's player of the season. It came after when his performance was praised by the Belgian media.