Lucas René Olaza Catrofe (born 21 July 1994) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Russian Premier League club Krasnodar and the Uruguay national team.
Club career Olaza was born in Montevideo. After graduating from River Plate's youth system, he made his professional debut on 19 February 2012, in a 3–2 away loss against Nacional.Nacional 3–2 River Plate; ESPN Deportes, 19 February 2012
On 7 January 2014, Olaza joined Série A side Atlético Paranaense, in a season-long loan deal.Atlético-PR fecha com Lucas Olaza, promessa da seleção uruguaia sub-20 (Atlético-PR signs Lucas Olaza, Uruguay under-20's wonderkid); Terra Esportes, 7 January 2014 He made his Série A debut on 20 April, playing the last 23 minutes in a 1–0 home win against Grêmio.
On 29 July 2015, Olaza moved to La Liga side Celta de Vigo, initially assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B. After his loan ended, he returned to his home country and joined Danubio.
On 27 July 2017, Olaza agreed to a three-year deal with Talleres de Córdoba, as the club bought 70% of his federative rights. On 1 August of the following year, he moved to fellow Argentine Primera División side Boca Juniors, helping the side reach the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals.
On 31 January 2019, Olaza returned to Celta, now being assigned to the main squad after agreeing to a six-month loan. He made his debut for Celta on 30 March 2019, starting in a 3–2 win against Villarreal, where he provided the assist for the second goal. He remained an integral part of the starting XI from this point, eventually helping the team to escape relegation on the final matchday. Following his decent performances, his loan was extended to another year on 2 July 2019.
On 1 February 2021, Olaza joined Real Valladolid on loan until the end of the season. The move was made permanent in the summer of 2021, as he signed a contract until June 2025.
On 31 January 2022, Olaza returned to the top tier after agreeing to a loan deal with Elche, with a buyout clause.
On 6 August 2023, Olaza signed a contract with Russian Premier League club Krasnodar for two years, with a conditional option for a third year.
On 11 September 2026, Olaza extended his Krasnodar contract until June 2028.
International career On 21 October 2022, Olaza was named in Uruguay's 55-man preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In June 2023, he received his first call-up to the senior team for friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba. He made his debut on 14 June 2023 in a 4–1 win against Nicaragua.
In June 2024, Olaza was named in Uruguay's 26-man squad for the 2024 Copa América.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRiver Plate Montevideo2012–13Uruguayan Primera División161———1612013–14Uruguayan Primera División——40—402014–15Uruguayan Primera División156———156Total317004000357Athletico Paranaense (loan)2014Série A60—00—60Celta B (loan)2015–16Segunda División B240———240Danubio2016Uruguayan Primera División50———502017Uruguayan Primera División226—22—248Total276—22—488Talleres2017–18Argentine Primera División244———244Boca Juniors (loan)2017–18Argentine Primera División401060—70Boca Juniors2018–19Argentine Primera División000000—40Celta Vigo2018–19La Liga10000——1002019–20La Liga35120——3712020–21La Liga18000——180Total631200000651Real Valladolid (loan)2020–21La Liga14100——141Real Valladolid2021–22La Liga11030——1402022–23La Liga23000——230Total340300000370Elche (loan)2021–22La Liga51———51Krasnodar2023–24Russian Premier League25140——2912024–25Russian Premier League27160——3312025–26Russian Premier League27170—103512026–27Russian Premier League9100——91Total884170—101064Career total320242301221035626
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsUruguay202310202460Total70
Honours Krasnodar Russian Premier League: 2024–25
Uruguay U20 FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2013
Uruguay Copa América third place: 2024
References
External links Profile at the Uruguayan Football Association website