Matías Lacava
|
Error creating thumbnail: Lacava in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matías Rafael Lacava González | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Caracas, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ulsan HD | ||
| Number | 36 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Fratelsa Sport | |||
| 2013–2015 | Barcelona | ||
| 2015–2018 | Lazio | ||
| 2018–2019 | Academia Puerto Cabello | ||
| 2019 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2024 | Academia Puerto Cabello | 42 | (11) |
| 2021–2022 | → Santos (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Tondela (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | → Vizela (loan) | 38 | (2) |
| 2024 | → Atlético Goianiense (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2025– | Ulsan HD | 24 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Venezuela U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2020– | Venezuela U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Venezuela U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024– | Venezuela | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 October 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:11 AEST, 14 November 2025 | |||
.jpg){kind=link}
Matías Rafael Lacava González (born 24 October 2002) is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays as a winger for K League 1 club Ulsan HD and the Venezuela national team.
Club career
[edit | edit source]Early career
[edit | edit source]Born in Chacao, Caracas, Lacava joined FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2013, aged ten, from hometown side Fratelsa Sport FC.[1] He left the club in 2015 after having "contractual problems", and moved to Lazio.[2]
In the 2018 summer, Lacava left Lazio and returned to his home country with Academia Puerto Cabello. On 16 January 2019, under the authorization of FIFA,[3] he signed a youth contract with S.L. Benfica,[4] but returned to Puerto Cabello in July.
Academia Puerto Cabello
[edit | edit source]Lacava made his first team debut for Academia Puerto Cabello on 28 July 2019, coming on as a half-time substitute for Joaquín Suárez in a 2–1 home loss against Aragua. He scored his first professional goals six days later, netting a brace in a 3–2 away win against Metropolitanos; it was his first start as a senior.[5]
Loan to Santos
[edit | edit source]On 3 August 2021, Lacava joined Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Santos on loan until December 2022, and was initially assigned to the under-23 team.[6] He made his first team debut on 13 November, replacing Marcos Guilherme in a 0–0 away draw against Atlético Goianiense.[7]
On 31 January 2022, Santos announced that Lacava's loan was terminated on a "mutual agreement".[8]
Loan to Tondela
[edit | edit source]On 31 January 2022, just hours after leaving Santos, Lacava returned to Portugal after agreeing to a six-month loan deal with Tondela.[9] On 27 June 2023, Vizela announced that the loan would be extended for another season, until June 2024.[10]
International career
[edit | edit source]Lacava represented Venezuela at under-17 and under-23 levels in the 2019 South American U-17 Championship and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, respectively. On 31 May 2021, he was called up to the full side by manager José Peseiro for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Bolivia and Uruguay.[11][12]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Lacava is the son of Carabobo state governor Rafael Lacava[13], who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in February 2019. The sanctions were imposed because he was considered an official aligned with the Maduro regime, involved in corruption, and for allegedly blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid [14].
Career statistics
[edit | edit source]Club
[edit | edit source]- As of match played 5 October 2025[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Academia Puerto Cabello | 2019 | Venezuelan Primera División | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | |||
| 2020 | 19 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 7 | ||||||
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 42 | 11 | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 47 | 12 | ||||
| Santos (loan) | 2021 | Série A | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 5[b] | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Tondela (loan) | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Liga Portugal 2 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |||
| Vizela (loan) | 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 2 | ||||
| Atlético Goianiense (loan) | 2024 | Série A | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Ulsan HD | 2025 | K League 1 | 24 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 3[f] | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| Career total | 134 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 166 | 16 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
- ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
- ^ a b Appearances in Taça da Liga
- ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
- ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
- ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International
[edit | edit source]- As of match played 14 November 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Matías Lacava at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 June 2021.Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Matías Lacava at ForaDeJogo (archived)Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Miranda (state)
- Venezuelan men's footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- Academia Puerto Cabello players
- Santos FC players
- C.D. Tondela players
- F.C. Vizela players
- Atlético Clube Goianiense players
- Ulsan HD FC players
- Venezuelan Primera División players
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
- Primeira Liga players
- Liga Portugal 2 players
- Venezuela men's youth international footballers
- Venezuela men's under-20 international footballers
- Venezuela men's international footballers
- 2024 Copa América players
- Venezuelan expatriate men's footballers
- Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
- Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
- Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in South Korea
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
- Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
- Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea