Lucas Leiva

Lucas Pezzini Leiva (born 9 January 1987), known as Lucas or Lucas Leiva (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈlukɐz ˈlejvɐ]), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for Grêmio, Liverpool, Lazio and the Brazil national team. Lucas began his career as a box-to-box midfielder at Grêmio, where he won the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2006 and 2007. In July 2007 he moved to Liverpool, where he made 346 appearances over the course of a decade, winning the League Cup in 2012. Between 2010 and 2016, Lucas led the Premier League in tackles per game five times in six seasons. He has the second most tackles in Premier League history, and has made into the top 10 for most Premier League appearances by Brazilians. He joined Lazio in 2017, winning a Coppa Italia title before briefly returning to Grêmio in 2022. A Brazilian international from 2007 to 2013, he has earned 24 caps and represented Brazil at the 2008 Olympics and the 2011 Copa América, winning a bronze medal at the former. He also captained the under-20 team to victory in the 2007 South American Youth Championship.