Introduction
Manuel Lanzini (born 15 February 1993) is an Argentine footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for English club West Ham United. He has previously played for River Plate and Fluminense and international football for Argentina U20. He is described as possessing phenomenal dribbling ability, as well as fantastic acceleration and vision and the ability to ghost past defenders. He is nicknamed "the jewel" ("la joya") and holds an Italian passport.
Career
River Plate
Born in Ituzaingó, Buenos Aires, Lanzini made his professional debut for River Plate as a 17-year-old on August 8, 2010, in a 1–0 home win over Tigre, playing 45 minutes.
Lanzini spent the 2011–12 season on-loan with Fluminense in Brazil. He scored his debut goal on 1 September 2011, in a 2–1 victory over São Paulo, at the Estádio do Morumbi. He went on to play 37 games in all competitions, scoring five goals and won the 2012 Carioca.
He returned from a loan in the summer of 2012 and took the number 10 shirt. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–2 home defeat to Belgrano, in the first game of the season.
Al Jazira
In 2014 Lanzini became the youngest foreign player, at 21, to play in the UAE Arabian Gulf League when he signed a four-year deal for Al Jazira Club. He had been courted by clubs in England, Spain, Italy and Turkey, and was signed as a replacement for Marseille-bound Abdelaziz Barrada.
West Ham United
On 22 July 2015, Lanzini signed for Premier League side West Ham United on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent. He made his debut on 6 August in a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg away to FC Astra Giurgiu, starting the match and scoring in the third minute, but the team lost 2–1 (4–3 on aggregate) and were eliminated. His league debut came on 15 August as a 76th-minute substitute for Cheikhou Kouyaté in a 1–2 home defeat to Leicester City. On 29 August, he scored his first league goal within three minutes of kick-off away to Liverpool, and assisted a Mark Noble goal after exploiting poor defending by Dejan Lovren, as the Hammers won 3–0 for their first victory at Anfield since 1963. In March 2016, a permanent deal to sign Lanzini with effect from 1 July 2016 was announced by West Ham.
International career
In May 2016, Lanzini was named in Argentina's provisional 35-man squad for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He withdrew from the squad in July 2016 following a knee injury sustained while training in Miami, Florida. He returned to London for treatment and training with West Ham.
Personal life
Lanzini has an older brother, Tomás Lanzini, who plays for Chilean club Ñublense.
He is also of Italian origin and holds an Italian passport.
Career statistics
- As of 1 February 2017
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Other Cups | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2010–11 | Primera División | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 43 | 5 | ||
| Total | 84 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 13 | ||
| Fluminense (loan) | 2011 | Série A | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 2012 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 42 | 5 | ||
| Al Jazira Club | 2014–15 | UAE Arabian Gulf League | 24 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 8 |
| Total | 24 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 8 | ||
| West Ham United (loan) | 2015–16 | Premier League | 26 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 7 |
| West Ham United | 2016–17 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 | |
| Total | 46 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 55 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 182 | 33 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 217 | 37 | ||
Honours
Club
- Fluminense
- Campeonato Carioca: 2012
- River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: Torneo Final 2014
- "Botofogo 0–1 Fluminense". www.soccerway.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- "M. Lanzani". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 July 2015.