Matías Lequi

Matías Lequi

Personal information
Full name	Matías Emanuel Lequi
Date of birth	(1981-05-13) 13 May 1981
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Team information
Current team	Sarmiento
Youth career
	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2001	Rosario Central	21	(1)
2001–2003	River Plate	40	(1)
2003–2004	Atlético Madrid	34	(2)
2004–2005	Lazio	6	(0)
2005–2008	Celta	81	(5)
2009–2010	Iraklis	14	(0)
2011	Las Palmas	17	(0)
2011–2012	Rosario Central	35	(2)
2012–2013	All Boys	14	(0)
2014	Sportivo Luqueño	21	(8)
2014–2015	Aldosivi	46	(3)
2016–	Sarmiento	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2015

Matías Emanuel Lequi (born 13 May 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Club Atlético Sarmiento as a central defender.

Football career

Born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Lequi started his career with hometown side Rosario Central, then signed for Club Atlético River Plate where he won two consecutive Clausura titles. In 2003 he moved abroad, joining Atlético Madrid, making his La Liga debut on 31 August in a 0–1 away loss against Sevilla FC and only missing four matches during the season as the Colchoneros eventually finished seventh and qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Subsequently Lequi signed with Italy's S.S. Lazio, going pretty much unnoticed during his one season-spell. For 2005–06 he returned to Spain, being loaned to Celta de Vigo: as the Galicians eventually finished in sixth position and reached the UEFA Cup straight from Segunda División, he was heavily featured, scoring against Real Madrid (1–2 home loss) and former team Atlético (opening the scoresheet in a 3–0 away win).

After extensive negotiations, the deal with Celta was made permanent in late May 2006, for four years. Lequi would however suffer relegation in the first season after his purchase and, with the club already in the second level, was sent off a total of four times in the league, as Celta languished in 16th position; he was released in August 2008.

Lequi spent the following months training on his own. In the 2009 summer transfer window, he moved to Greek side Iraklis Thessaloniki FC. On 19 January 2011, the free agent returned to Spain and signed a five-month with UD Las Palmas, in division two.

Honours

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: Clausura 2002, 2003

External links

• Argentine League statistics (Spanish)
• Matías Lequi profile at BDFutbol
• Matías Lequi at Soccerway

• Lazio: Definito l’ingaggio di Lequi (Lazio: Lequi's purchase concluded); Supereva, September 2004 (Italian)
• El difícil acuerdo con Lequi (The difficult agreement with Lequi); Faro de Vigo, 26 May 2006 (Spanish)