Giovani Lo Celso

Giovani Lo Celso (born 9 April 1996) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for La Liga side Real Betis and the Argentina national team.^[2]

Giovani Lo Celso

Lo Celso with Tottenham Hotspur in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Giovani Lo Celso[1]
Date of birth	(1996-04-09) 9 April 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Betis
Number	20
Youth career
2010–2015	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Rosario Central	27	(3)
2016–2019	Paris Saint-Germain	38	(4)
2016	→ Rosario Central (loan)	9	(1)
2018–2019	→ Betis (loan)	27	(8)
2019–2020	Betis	5	(1)
2019–2020	→ Tottenham Hotspur (loan)	28	(0)
2020–2024	Tottenham Hotspur	49	(3)
2022	→ Villarreal (loan)	16	(1)
2022–2023	→ Villarreal (loan)	22	(2)
2024–	Betis	0	(0)
International career‡
2016	Argentina Olympic	3	(0)
2017–	Argentina	59	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Argentina Copa América Winner 2021 Brazil Winner 2024 United States 2019 Brazil CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Winner 2022 England
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:09, 14 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:52, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Rosario Central

Lo Celso is a youth product of Rosario Central. He made his league debut at 19 July 2015 against Vélez Sarsfield in a 0–0 home draw.^[3] On 28 February 2016, Lo Celso scored his first Rosario Central goal in a 3–0 victory over Colón, netting Rosario's first in the 6th minute.^[4] He then went on to score his second of the campaign in a 3–2 defeat to Vélez Sarsfield on 10 April 2016.^[5]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 26 July 2016, Lo Celso joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year deal until 2021, for a fee around the margin of £8.5m.^[6] He remained at Rosario Central on loan until 31 December 2016.^[6] He made his debut for the French side on 5 April 2017 in a Coupe de France quarter final game against US Avranches. He replaced Adrien Rabiot in the 63rd minute of a 4–0 away win.^[7]

Lo Celso came on and assisted for Dani Alves’ goal in the UEFA Champions League match against Celtic FC to make the scoreline 7–1. He scored his first goal for PSG in a 3–2 Coupe de la Ligue win against Rennes on 30 January 2018.^[8]

On 8 May 2018, he scored as PSG won 2–0 against Les Herbiers VF to clinch the 2017–18 Coupe de France.^[9]

Real Betis

On 31 August 2018, Lo Celso joined La Liga side Real Betis on a season-long loan with an option to buy.^[10] Betis triggered this option on 16 April 2019 and Lo Celso joined the club on a permanent basis.^[11] During his time at the club, Lo Celso made 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.^[2]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 8 August 2019, Lo Celso signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan with an option to buy, after a long summer of speculation over his future.^[12] He made his debut for Tottenham as a late substitute in the second Premier League match of the season against Manchester City that ended 2–2, a match notable for a controversy over VAR and a new rule on handball introduced this season.^[13][14]

After three substitute appearances for the club, Lo Celso injured his hip while on international duty for Argentina.^[15] After returning from injury, he made his first start for Tottenham, scoring his first goal for the club that kicked off a 4–0 win over Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League, which was the first away win for Tottenham in six months.^[16] On 14 January 2020, Lo Celso scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win for Spurs against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.^[17]

Lo Celso's contract was made permanent on 28 January 2020 with the new deal running until the summer of 2025.^[18]

In the 2020–21 season, Lo Celso scored his first goals of the season when he netted a brace in the 7–2 win against Maccabi Haifa in a Europa League play-off match.^[19] On 21 November 2020, Lo Celso scored his first Premier League goal, 35 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the match against Manchester City, which helped secure a 2–0 win.^[20]

Loan to Villarreal

On 31 January 2022, Lo Celso joined La Liga club Villarreal on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.^[21] On 14 August 2022, he rejoined Villarreal on loan for the 2022–23 season.^[22] In November 2022, Lo Celso suffered a hamstring injury, which was successfully operated by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.^[23]

Return to Tottenham

On 26 November 2023, Lo Celso made his first Premier League start for Tottenham in over two years, scoring Tottenham's only goal in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa.^[24][25] In the following game, Lo Celso scored his second goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–3 draw against Manchester City.^[26]

Return to Real Betis

On 30 August 2024, before the transfer window closed, Lo Celso departed Tottenham Hotspur and returned back to Real Betis, signing a four-year deal.^[27]

International career

Youth

Due to some impressive performances at Rosario Central, Lo Celso earned a call-up to the Argentina U23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[28] On 4 August 2016, Lo Celso made his Argentina U23 debut in a 2–0 defeat against Portugal, replacing Cristian Espinoza in the 72nd minute.^{[29][better source needed]}

Senior

Lo Celso warming up for Argentina in 2017

On 11 November 2017, Lo Celso debuted for the Argentine senior squad in a 1–0 victory over Russia as a starter, only to be replaced by Alejandro Gómez in the 59th minute.^[30]

In May 2018, Lo Celso was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia;^[31] he was later included in the final 23-man selection for the tournament.^[32][33]

In May 2019, Lo Celso was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América.^[34] On 28 June, in the quarter-finals of the tournament, Lo Celso scored Argentina's second goal in a 2–0 victory over Venezuela, which enabled his team to advance to the semi-finals of the competition.^[35]

In June 2021, Lo Celso was once again included in Scaloni's final Argentina 28-man squad for the 2021 Copa América, which the team eventually won. He also played against Italy in the Finalissima, which Argentina won 3–0 at Wembley Stadium, England on 1 June 2022.^[36] He was not included in the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, due to a hamstring injury.^[37]

After recovering from his injury, he returned to the team, being a usual in Scaloni's call-ups despite not having much game time in Tottenham. On 21 November 2023, in a game for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Brazil at the Estadio Maracana, he provided an assist from a corner kick to Nicolás Otamendi in what would be a 1-0 away win, which became the first time the latter had lost a qualifiers game in home condition.

In June 2024, Lo Celso was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América. On 14 July, in the final against Colombia, he came off the bench in the 97th minute of extra-time replacing Enzo Fernández. In the 112th minute, he provided the assist to Lautaro Martínez that ended up in the goal that would crown Argentina champions.

Personal life

Born in Argentina, Lo Celso also holds an Italian passport due to his Italian heritage.^[38] His younger brother Francesco is also a professional footballer and currently plays for Rosario Central.^[39]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 September 2024^[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rosario Central	2014	Argentine Primera División	0	0	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	2015		13	0	3	0	—		—		—		16	0
	2016		14	2	1	0	—		9[lower-alpha 1]	0	—		24	2
	2016–17		9	1	5	0	—		—		—		14	1
	Total		36	3	9	0	—		9	0	—		54	3
Paris Saint-Germain	2016–17	Ligue 1	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		5	0
	2017–18		33	4	4	1	4	1	7[lower-alpha 2]	0	0	0	48	6
	2018–19		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		38	4	5	1	4	1	7	0	0	0	54	6
Real Betis	2018–19	La Liga	32	9	6	2	—		7[lower-alpha 3]	5	—		45	16
Tottenham Hotspur (loan)	2019–20	Premier League	28	0	4	1	0	0	5[lower-alpha 2]	1	—		37	2
Tottenham Hotspur	2020–21		18	1	0	0	1	0	9[lower-alpha 3]	4	—		28	5
	2021–22		9	0	1	0	4	0	5[lower-alpha 4]	2	—		19	2
	2023–24		22	2	1	0	1	0	—		—		24	2
	Total		77	3	6	2	6	0	19	7	—		108	11
Villarreal (loan)	2021–22	La Liga	16	1	—		—		6[lower-alpha 2]	0	—		22	1
	2022–23		22	2	0	0	—		7[lower-alpha 4]	0	—		29	2
	Total		38	3	0	0	—		13	0	—		51	3
Real Betis	2024–25	La Liga	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
Career total			221	22	26	4	10	1	55	12	0	0	312	39

1. Appearances in Copa Libertadores
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 10 September 2024^[40]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Argentina	2017	2	0
	2018	8	1
	2019	11	1
	2020	2	0
	2021	13	0
	2022	5	0
	2023	7	0
	2024	11	1
Total		59	3

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.^[40]

List of international goals scored by Giovani Lo Celso

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 September 2018	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States	Guatemala	2–0	3–0	Friendly
2	28 June 2019	Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Venezuela	2–0	2–0	2019 Copa América
3	22 March 2024	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States	El Salvador	3–0	3–0	Friendly

Honours

Paris Saint-Germain

• Ligue 1: 2017–18^[41]
• Coupe de France: 2016–17,^[42] 2017–18^[43]
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2017–18^[44]
• Trophée des Champions: 2017,^[45] 2018^[46]

Tottenham Hotspur

• EFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21^[47]

Argentina

• Copa América: 2021,^[48] 2024^[49]
• CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022^[50]

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Argentina" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
2. "G. Lo Celso". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
3. "Rosario Central vs. Velez Sarsfield". Soccerway. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
4. "Colón vs. Rosario Central". Soccerway. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
5. "Rosario Central vs. Vélez Sarsfield". Soccerway. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
6. "Giovani Lo Celso signs five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
7. "Avranches vs. PSG". Soccerway. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
8. "Kylian Mbappe: Paris St-Germain forward sent off against Rennes". BBC. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
9. Emlyn Begley (8 May 2018). "French Cup final - PSG beat Les Herbiers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
10. "Giovani Lo Celso loaned to Real Betis". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
11. "Real Betis confirm Giovani Lo Celso signing from PSG". 16 April 2019.
12. "Tottenham sign winger Ryan Sessegnon for £25m and midfielder Giovani lo Celso on loan". BBC News. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
13. Murray, Scott (17 August 2019). "Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
14. "Premier League handball: Is new rule spot-on or misguided?". BBC Sport. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
15. "Lo Celso injury update". Tottenham Hotspur. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
16. Hall, Peter (7 November 2019). "Giovani Lo Celso shows Tottenham's future without Christian Eriksen may not be as bleak as feared". The Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
17. "Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
18. "Lo Celso transfer confirmed / Eriksen to Inter". Tottenham Hotspur. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
19. Gold, Alasdair (1 October 2020). "Tottenham player ratings: Harry Kane the hat-trick hero as Steven Bergwijn and Lo Celso dazzle". Football.london.
20. McNulty, Phil (21 November 2020). "Tottenham Hotspur 2 : 0 Manchester City". BBC Sport.
21. "Giovani Lo Celso is a Yellow!". Villarreal CF. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
22. "Giovani lo Celso: Spurs midfielder joins Villarreal on loan". BBC Sport. 14 August 2022.
23. Argentiinan jalkapallotähti leikattiin Turussa, Iltalehti, 12 November 2022
24. "Villa fight back to win as Spurs remember Venables". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
25. Smith, Dom (27 November 2023). "Lo Celso must seize his second chance to become a Spurs success story". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
26. Bate, Adam (3 December 2023). "Tottenham Hotspur 3 : 3 Manchester City". Sky Sports.
27. "El Real Betis y el Tottenham Hotspur acuerdan el traspaso de Giovani Lo Celso". Real Betis Balompié. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
28. "Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016 - Argentina". FIFA. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
29. "Portugal U23 vs. Argentina U23". ESPN. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
30. "Ante Russia, Selección Argentina Empieza Nueva Etapa". Catamarc Actual (in Spanish). 11 November 2017. Entre otras novedades, figura una prueba de fuego para Germán Pezzella como defensor central, mientras que también aparecerá en el equipo el volante Matías Kranevitter y será el debut como titular del talentoso mediocampista Giovani Lo Celso del PSG de Francia. [Among other newcomers, there is a litmus test for Germán Pezzella as a central defender, while midfielder Matías Kranevitter will also appear in the team and it will be the debut as a starter for the talented midfielder Giovani Lo Celso of French club PSG.]
31. Crawford, Stephen (4 June 2018). "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad | Final 23-man lists". Goal.
32. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad". Goal. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
33. "Icardi cut from Argentina's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal. Perform Group. 21 May 2018.
34. "Messi Leads Argentina's Copa America Squad; Icardi Omitted". Sports Illustrated. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
35. "Argentina beats Venezuela, faces Brazil in Copa América semi". TSN Radio. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
36. "Italy 0-3 Argentina: South American champions cruise to Finalissima glory". UEFA. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
37. "Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Jesus Corona: 10 stars ruled out of 2022 World Cup through injury". ESPN. 20 November 2022.
38. Rodden, Mark (27 April 2016). "Paris Saint-Germain move 'appealing' to Rosario's Giovani Lo Celso - father". ESPN. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
39. "Giovani Lo Celso Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts". 26 January 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
40. Giovani Lo Celso at National-Football-Teams.com
41. "PSG clinch Ligue 1 title by thrashing Monaco". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
42. "Own goal earns PSG record 11th French Cup title". Eurosport. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
43. "Paris Saint-Germain set record with fourth straight Coupe De France crown". Goal. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
44. "PSG win fifth straight Coupe de la Ligue title as Kylian Mbappe haunts ex-club Monaco". ESPN. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
45. "Monaco 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Dani Alves helps PSG win Trophee des Champions". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
46. "PSG thrash Monaco to win French Super Cup as Neymar plays 15 minutes". ESPN. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
47. McNulty, Phil (25 April 2021). "Manchester City 1–0 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
48. Graham, Bryan Armen (11 July 2021). "Argentina 1-0 Brazil: Copa América final – live!". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
49. "Argentina defeats Colombia to Become The Champion of CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™". Copa América. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
50. "Italy 0–3 Argentina: Messi and Di Maria shine in impressive Finalissima win". BBC Sport. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.

External links

• Profile at the Real Betis website
• Giovani Lo Celso at Soccerway
• Giovani Lo Celso at Soccerbase
• Giovani Lo Celso – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French
• Giovani Lo Celso – UEFA competition record (archive)