Luis Óscar "Lucho" González (;In isolation, González is pronounced . The corresponding Standard European pronunciation is . born 19 January 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer, currently assistant manager of Primeira Liga club Porto. A versatile midfielder who was able to play in different positions but mainly in the centre, he was well known for his fierce shot, passing and work rate, being affectionately known as El Comandante (the commander) due to his leadership skills.
After starting with Huracán and River Plate, he signed for Porto in 2005, where he played 241 games and scored 61 goals across two spells, winning ten major titles. He also played in France with Marseille, Al-Rayyan in Qatar and Athletico Paranaense in Brazil; his 29 honours were surpassed only by Lionel Messi among his countrymen.
An Argentina international on 45 occasions, González represented his country in the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Club career Early years González was born in Buenos Aires to a mother from Chile and a father from Uruguay. He began his career at Huracán at the age of 14, making his Primera División debut on 29 April 1999 in a 1–2 home loss against Racing Club.
Three years later, González transferred to another side in his hometown, River Plate, where he won consecutive Clausura tournaments in 2003 and 2004, contributing 23 goals in 120 games across all competitions.
Porto González's performances at River earned him a deal with Portugal's Porto in 2005, signing a five-year contract. In his first season he scored ten goals in 30 matches, including braces against Académica de Coimbra (5–1), Penafiel (3–1) and Vitória de Guimarães (3–1), helping the northerners to the first of their four consecutive Primeira Liga titles.
González eventually became team captain at Porto. In November 2006, he agreed to an improved five-year deal and, in August of the following year, the club paid €6.65 million to Global Soccer Agencies (later renamed Rio Football Services) to achieve full ownership of the player, activating the clause by rejecting an offer from Everton.
On 22 March 2009, González netted against Estrela da Amadora in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Taça de Portugal (2–0 home win, 3–2 on aggregate). During the league campaign, he scored nine times in only 23 appearances to help the team to the fourth title in a row; the season ended with a double.
Marseille
In June 2009, González was sold to Marseille in France for a fee of €18 million, with the possibility of an increase to €24 million depending on the player's performance; the four-year transfer was the most expensive in the club's history. He scored his first official goal for his new side on 19 September, opening a 4–2 home victory over Montpellier, and also found the net on 26 November in the 1–1 draw with AC Milan in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, at the San Siro. He scored against Real Madrid in an ensuing fixture on 8 December, but later missed a penalty kick in the 1–3 home loss, with the subsequent relegation to the UEFA Europa League.
After the winter break, González also helped Marseille to reach the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, scoring against Lille in the quarter-finals (2–1) in late January. He finished his first season with 32 matches and five goals, winning a league/league cup double.
González scored his first goal of the 2010–11 campaign on 29 August 2010, in a 1–1 draw at Bordeaux. On 3 November, he grabbed a brace in the 7–0 away rout of Žilina in the Champions League group phase.
González started in the 2011 Coupe de la Ligue final, won 1–0 against Montpellier. He was linked with a transfer to England's Arsenal in early May 2011 because of his solid performances, to which he responded that "I don't know why there are so many things said about this at the moment. It annoys me a bit. At no time has it left my mouth that I wanted to leave or that I didn't feel good here. I have a contract with OM until 2013 and the people at the club seem happy with me." On 8 May, Marseille faced title challengers Lyon at the Stade de Gerland, and he scored in an eventual 3–2 defeat, with his team eventually finishing second to Lille. After the season ended, chairman Jean-Claude Dassier confirmed that he was seeking an exit from the club.
Despite the constant speculation, González remained at the Stade Vélodrome for 2011–12. On the first fixture, he opened the score in the 38th minute of a 2–2 home draw against Sochaux. On 13 September, he netted the game's only goal at Olympiacos in the Champions League group stage, where he also earned Player of the match accolades.
Return to Porto
On 30 January 2012, after 124 competitive appearances for Marseille, González returned to Porto, signing until June 2014. He scored in his first match in his second spell, a 2–0 win against Vitória de Setúbal in the Taça da Liga on 5 February. He opened a 2–0 home victory over Olhanense on 31 March, his first league goal since returning.
In 2012–13, Porto won a third consecutive league title after an unbeaten season with González as captain; he opened a decisive 2–0 win at Paços de Ferreira on the final day. In the Champions League, he netted in away and home group wins over Dinamo Zagreb with the former coming on the day of his father's death; the goals gave him the record figure of 16 in that phase of the competition, while he never scored any later on. He added two more the following season, as the Dragons came third at that stage and fell into the Europa League.
Later career On 27 January 2014, González signed with Qatari club Al-Rayyan, initially until June. Eighteen months later, he returned to his country's league and River Plate for the first time in a decade, signing until 2017. He played as a substitute in their Copa Libertadores finals win over Tigres and the victory against Gamba Osaka in the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship in his first year back.
At the age of 35 on 16 September 2016, González joined Brazil's Athletico Paranaense. He played 160 times and scored ten goals for the side, winning five trophies including the Copa Sudamericana in 2018.
González announced his retirement on 27 May 2021, at the age of 40.
International career Under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, González earned his first cap for the Argentina national team on 31 January 2003 against Honduras. He went on to represent the nation in the 2004 Copa América, scoring two goals during the tournament as the country lost the final on penalties to Brazil.
González also played with the side that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2006, he was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in which Argentina, managed by José Pekerman, lost to hosts Germany in the quarter-finals on penalties.
Subsequently, González was part of the Alfio Basile–led squad at 2007 Copa América, where the Albiceleste was again defeated by Brazil in the decisive match, now 3–0.
Coaching career González returned to his final club Athletico in January 2022, as assistant to manager Alberto Valentim. In April, he was named as the latter's interim replacement, but chose to leave within 24 hours.
On 24 August 2022, González signed his first coaching contract for fellow Campeonato Brasileiro Série A team Ceará, until the end of the season. He drew 1–1 at Flamengo on his debut on 4 September, and was dismissed on 28 October after only one win in ten matches.
González joined Internacional in July 2023 as assistant to manager Eduardo Coudet, taking part in their run to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals and climbing up the Brazilian League standings. In December, the entire staff was renewed until December 2024.
González departed following Coudet's dismissal in July 2024, and returned to Athletico Paranaense on 24 September, now as head coach. He was himself sacked on 10 December, after suffering relegation in the year of the club's 100th birthday.
In July 2025, González returned to Porto, as part of newly appointed Francesco Farioli's staff.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHuracán1998–99Primera División70————701999–2000Primera B Nacional355————3552000–01Primera División343————3432001–02Primera División354————354Total11112————11112River Plate2002–03Primera División327——101—4282003–04Primera División242——173—4152004–05Primera División268——111—379Total8217——385—12022Porto2005–06Primeira Liga301041—61—40122006–07Primeira Liga30900—830038122007–08Primeira Liga283520073004082008–09Primeira Liga239311092103712Total11131124103091015544Marseille2009–10Ligue 1325004182—4482010–11Ligue 13681040821050102011–12Ligue 119220206110303Total8715301012252012421Porto2011–12Primeira Liga121002220001632012–13Primeira Liga2962141821044102013–14Primeira Liga16120106211264Total5784173164218617Al-Rayyan2013–14Qatar Stars League10100—41—1422014–15Qatari Second Division15640—70—266Total26840—111—419River Plate2015Primera División9100—80302012016Primera División8000—31–111Total17100—11130312Athletico Paranaense2016Série A120————1202017Série A26231—123504662018Série A27160—120004512019Série A17170—40303112020Série A12020—62402422021Série A———200020Total944181—36512016010Career total5849541618416430201827136
International
| 1 || 31 January 2003 || Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras || || 1–2 || 1–3 || Friendly || |- | 2 || 8 February 2003 || Orange Bowl, Miami, United States || || 0–1 || 0–1 || Friendly || |- | 3 || 7 July 2004 || Elías Aguirre, Chiclayo, Peru || || 6–1 || 6–1 || 2004 Copa América || |- | 4 || 20 July 2004 || Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru || || 2–0 || 3–0 || 2004 Copa América || |- | 5 || 9 October 2004 || Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina || || 1–0 || 4–2 || 2006 World Cup qualification || |- | 6 || 1 April 2009 || Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia || || 1–6 || 1–6 || 2010 World Cup qualification ||
Managerial statistics
+ Coaching record by team and tenure Team Nat From To RecordCeará24 August 202228 October 2022Athletico Paranaense24 September 202410 December 2024Total
Honours Club
Huracán Primera B Nacional: 2000
River Plate Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2003, Clausura 2004 Copa Libertadores: 2015 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 2015
Porto Primeira Liga: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13 Taça de Portugal: 2005–06, 2008–09 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2012, 2013
Marseille Ligue 1: 2009–10 Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 Trophée des Champions: 2010, 2011
Al-Rayyan Qatari Second Division: 2014–15
Athletico Paranaense Copa do Brasil: 2019 Copa Sudamericana: 2018, 2021 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 2019 Campeonato Paranaense: 2020
International Argentina Olympic Summer Olympic Games: 2004 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2004
Argentina Copa América runner-up: 2004, 2007
Individual Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2004 South American Team of the Year: 2004 Portuguese Golden Ball: 2009 SJPF Player of the Month: October 2007 FC Porto Player of the Year: 2006 UNFP Player of the Month: April 2010
References
External links