Lucas Ocampos

Lucas Ariel Ocampos (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlukas aˈɾjel oˈkampos]; born 11 July 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Eredivisie side Ajax, on loan from La Liga club Sevilla, and the Argentina national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ocampos.

Lucas Ocampos
Ocampos playing for Sevilla in 2020
Personal information
Full name Lucas Ariel Ocampos[1]
Date of birth (1994-07-11) 11 July 1994
Place of birth Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Club information
Current team
 Ajax
(on loan from Sevilla)
Number 11
Youth career
2000–2009 Quilmes
2009–2011 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 River Plate 39 (7)
2012–2015 Monaco 80 (10)
2015 → Marseille (loan) 14 (2)
2015–2019 Marseille 82 (14)
2016–2017 → Genoa (loan) 14 (3)
2017 → Milan (loan) 12 (0)
2019– Sevilla 100 (25)
2022– → Ajax (loan) 4 (0)
National team‡
2009 Argentina U15 4 (2)
2011 Argentina U17 12 (3)
2019– Argentina 10 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:58, 1 October 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022

Ocampos began his senior career in Argentina with River Plate before joining Monaco for a Ligue 2 record fee of €11 million in 2012. He spent two-and-a-half seasons in the principality and was nominated for the European Golden Boy award before joining Marseille. There, he spent four seasons, either side of loan spells in Italy with Genoa and Milan, before joining Sevilla in 2019.

Club career

Early career

Ocampos started playing football at the academy of Quilmes at the age of six where he first played as a striker. It was with Quilmes that Ocampos was spotted by River Plate. In a youth match against the Buenos Aires-based club Ocampos scored twice, prompting the management at River to follow his progression.[3] They completed his signing after the U15 Sudamericano in which Ocampos excelled for Argentina, signing him on a 50% co-ownership deal with Quilmes.[4]

River Plate
Ocampos during his time with River Plate in Argentina.

Ocampos' first opportunity with River Plate's senior side came in 2011 following the club's relegation to the Nacional B for the first time in their history. He was awarded his first-team debut by manager Matías Almeyda on 16 August 2011, aged 17, against Chacarita Juniors and scored his first goal for the club in the following match, netting River's opener in a 3–1 win over Independiente Rivadavia.[5] Ocampos and Almeyda's paths had previously crossed at Quilmes where Almeyda had been a player at the time of the Ocampos' arrival at the academy.[4] Ocampos soon established himself as a regular in the starting eleven and was instrumental in River securing the club's promotion back to the Primera División, ending the season with 7 goals to his name in 38 appearances. His form throughout the season had also seen him named by FIFA as one of the Players to Watch in 2012.[6] He made his Primera División debut on the opening day of the following season against Belgrano.[7] It would be his final appearance for the club, however, as on 6 August 2012 he completed a transfer to French club Monaco.

Monaco
Ocampos playing for Monaco in 2014

On 6 August 2012, Ligue 2 side AS Monaco, owned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and managed by Claudio Ranieri, completed the signing of Ocampos for a reported fee of €11 million, with the fee split between Quilmes, River and a group of investors.[4] The completion of the deal saw Ocampos become the most expensive Ligue 2 signing of all-time.[8][9] He made his debut for the club on 31 August 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute for Emir Bajrami in a 2–1 loss against Le Havre.[4] Ocampos then scored his first goal for the club in his second appearance in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue as Monaco beat Valenciennes 4–2.[10] The goal, a spectacular bicycle kick in extra-time, was later chosen by Monaco supporters as the club's Goal of the Season.[11] His first league goal for the club came on 18 January 2013 when he scored one and recorded an assist for Gary Kagelmacher in a 2–0 win over Istres.[12] Ocampos ultimately featured in 29 appearances across the league campaign, scoring four goals as Monaco secured their return to Ligue 1.[13]

Monaco's promotion to Ligue 1 was accompanied by a spate of free-spending by Rybolovlev. The Russian owner completed the big-money signings of James Rodríguez, Radamel Falcao and João Moutinho, amongst others, with the effect that Ocampos found his influence within the Monaco squad diminishing.[11] Despite featuring more from the bench than from the start, Ocampos still managed a return of 5 goals in 34 appearances as Monaco ended the season as runners-up to mega-money rivals PSG.[13] Monaco's failure to secure the league title despite heavy investment saw Ranieri sacked at the end of the season and replaced by Leonardo Jardim.[14] Despite seeing his game time reduced further under Jardim, Ocampos was nominated for the European Golden Boy award in October 2014, though the award was eventually won by Liverpool's Raheem Sterling.[15] On 26 November, Ocampos scored his first Champions League goal in a 1–0 away win against Bayer Leverkusen.[16] Having started only seven matches by the end of January 2015, Ocampos requested a move away from the principality and was granted his wish with a transfer to Ligue 1 rivals Marseille.

Marseille

On 3 February 2015, Ocampos signed for Monaco's Ligue 1 rivals Marseille on loan until the end of the season, where he paired up with compatriot and manager, Marcelo Bielsa. He made a goal scoring debut for the club four days later, netting in a 1–1 draw with Rennes.[17] He ultimately made fourteen appearances and scored twice during his loan spell as Marseille ended the season in fourth. On 30 June 2015, Marseille announced that Ocampos had signed for the club on a permanent deal for a fee believed to be around €7 million.[18] He scored his first goal of the season in a 6–0 victory over Troyes on 23 August.[19] The goal, another bicycle kick from a Romain Alessandrini cross, was later nominated for the Ligue 1 Goal of the Season award, which was ultimately won by Pierrick Capelle of Angers[20][21] It was his only contribution in front of goal, however, as after the resignation of Bielsa early in the campaign Ocampos struggled to impress under new manager Míchel, and made only 17 appearances throughout the league season.[13]

Loans to Genoa and Milan

On 29 June 2016, Serie A side Genoa announced the signing of Ocampos on a season-long loan, with an option to purchase included.[17] He made his debut for the club on 12 August, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–2 Coppa Italia win over Lecce, and made his Serie A debut on 21 August in a 3–1 win over newly promoted Cagliari.[22][23] In September, Ocampos injured ligaments in his knee which saw him ruled him out of action for a month.[24] He made his return on 6 November and scored his first goal for Genoa in a 1–1 draw with Udinese.[25] He scored his second goal the following week in a 3–1 loss to Lazio before scoring his third and final goal for the club on 22 January 2017, netting Genoa's second in a 2–2 draw with Crotone.[26][27] Towards the end of January, Genoa and Marseille reached an agreement to allow Ocampos to join fellow Serie A side A.C. Milan for the remainder of his loan spell for a reported fee of €500k.[28]

On 30 January 2017, Milan confirmed the loan signing of Ocampos for the remainder of the season, with Genoa retaining the option to buy from Marseille at the end of the loan spell.[29][30] He was signed as a replacement for Frenchman M'Baye Niang who had moved on loan to Premier League side Watford.[31] Ocampos made his debut for the club on 5 February, coming on as a late second-half substitute for Andrea Bertolacci in a 1–0 defeat to Sampdoria.[32] He featured sporadically for the club, however, and at the end of the season returned to Marseille having played a combined 29 matches and scored 3 goals across all competitions during his stints with Genoa and Milan.

Return to Marseille
Ocampos playing for Marseille in 2018

Ocampos scored on his first Ligue 1 appearance following his return to Marseille, netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over Nantes on 12 August 2017.[33] On 1 October, he scored a brace in the game against Nice winning the game for Marseille with 4–2.[34] He maintained his form throughout the first half of the season, scoring 6 goals in 15 league appearances by the end of the year, which saw him linked with a move to Torino during the January transfer market.[35] He remained at Marseille, however, and on 7 February 2018 he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 9–0 Coupe de France win over Bourg-en-Bresse. The result was also Marseille's biggest win 70 years.[36] He also featured regularly in the club's Europa League campaign and helped the side reach the final of the competition, where they lost 3–0 to Spanish side, Atlético Madrid.[37][38] He remained with Marseille the following season before departing for Spain, having scored 28 goals in 135 appearances during his time with the club.[39]

Sevilla

On 3 July 2019, Ocampos signed a five-year contract with La Liga side Sevilla for an undisclosed fee.[40] On 11 August 2020, he scored the winning goal for Sevilla in the 88th minute, in a 1–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.[41] In his debut season with Sevilla, Ocampos scored 14 goals in La Liga to finish 4th in the table,[42] and eventually won the Europa League.[43] On 24 September 2020, he scored from a penalty in 1–2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the 2020 UEFA Super Cup.[44][45]

Ajax

On 31 August 2022, Ocampos signed for Ajax on a season-long loan with a buy option included worth €16m.[46] Ocampos was signed as a direct replacement for Antony, who had just joined Manchester United for a record Eredivisie fee of €100m.[47]

International career

Having previously represented his nation at youth level, Ocampos made his senior Argentina debut on 9 October 2019 during a friendly against Germany, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ángel Correa and scoring a late equalizer in a 2–2 draw.[48]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 12 October 2022[49][50]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
River Plate 2011–12 Nacional B 38710—00—397
2012–13 Argentine Primera División 1000—00—10
Total 39710—00—407
Monaco 2012–13 Ligue 2 2941021——325
2013–14 Ligue 1 345421000—397
2014–15 17121106[lower-alpha 1]1—263
Total 8010734161—9715
Marseille (loan) 2014–15 Ligue 1 142211000—173
Marseille 2015–16 Ligue 1 17110116[lower-alpha 2]2—254
2017–18 319431017[lower-alpha 2]4—5316
2018–19 34410104[lower-alpha 2]1—405
Total 96168441277—13528
Genoa (loan) 2016–17 Serie A 14330———173
Milan (loan) 2016–17 Serie A 12000——00120
Sevilla 2019–20 La Liga 331442—7[lower-alpha 2]1—4417
2020–21 34542—7[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 3]1468
2021–22 30631—9[lower-alpha 4]2—429
2022–23 3000—00—30
Total 10025115—2331113534
Ajax (loan) 2022–23 Eredivisie 4000—2[lower-alpha 1]0—60
Career total 3456130128258111144287
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  4. Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, three appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 29 March 2022[51]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Argentina 201932
202040
202110
202220
Total102
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ocampos goal.
List of international goals scored by Lucas Ocampos
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
19 October 2019Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany1 Germany2–22–2Friendly
213 October 2019Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Alicante, Spain2 Ecuador6–16–1

Honours

Club

River Plate[50]

  • Primera B Nacional: 2011–12

Monaco[50]

  • Ligue 2: 2012–13

Marseille[50]

Sevilla[50]

  • UEFA Europa League: 2019–20[53]
  • UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 2020

Individual

References
  1. "Ocampos, Lucas Ariel". CA River Plate. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  2. "Lucas Ocampos". Sevilla FC. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  3. "Futur Crack: Ocampos la pépite de River Plate". Les-Transferts (in French). 5 January 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  4. Faure, Nico (15 April 2013). "Prospect: Lucas Ocampos". Get French Football News. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  5. "Match: Ind. Riv. v River". ESPN. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  6. "Players to watch in 2012". FIFA. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  7. ""River está siempre en mi cabeza"". Olé (in Spanish). 30 December 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  8. Matta, Antoine (17 August 2016). "Lucas Ocampos, la dernière chance". Calciomio (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  9. Doyle, Paul (2 May 2013). "Monaco's free-spending ascent has French sides fearing for their future". Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  10. "Monaco v Valenciennes". Ligue 1 (in French). 26 September 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  11. Coates, Peter (27 November 2015). "Lucas Ocampos: Can Monaco's speed merchant replace Raheem Sterling at Liverpool?". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  12. Pelayo, Yannick (20 December 2013). "Janvier 2013 or the month Ocampos grew wings". AS Monaco (in French). Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  13. "Lucas Ocampos". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  14. "Claudio Ranieri sacked: Monaco dismiss manager despite finishing second in Ligue 1 and qualifying for Champions League". Independent. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  15. Pelayo, Yannick (25 October 2014). "Lucas Ocampos nomeado para Golden Boy 2014". AS Monaco (in French). Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  16. "Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Monaco: Ocampos steals win for visitors". Goal.com. 26 November 2014.
  17. "Genoa sign Lucas Ocampos on loan from Marseille". ESPN. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  18. Huguenin, Michael (3 July 2015). "Ocampos seals permanent Marseille move". Goal.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  19. Scott, A (23 August 2015). "Michel's Marseille Hit Troyes For Six". Ligue 1. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  20. Szwarc, Daniel (20 May 2016). "Un golazo de Lucas Ocampos, nominado al mejor del año en Francia". La Pagina Millonaria (in French). Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  21. "Pierrick Capelle ,Auteur du Plus Beau But de la Saison!". Trophées UNFP (in French). Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  22. "Prêtés : trois défaites et des débuts". Le Phoceen (in French). 20 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  23. "Genoa 3–1 Cagliari". ESPN. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  24. "Sampdoria : Un mois sans Lucas Ocampos". L'Équipe (in French). 26 September 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  25. "Mohamed Salah hat-trick keeps Roma in touch with leaders Juventus". Guardian. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  26. "Lazio-Genoa 3-1: a segno Felipe Anderson, Biglia, Wallace e Ocampos". La Gazetta dello Sport (in Italian). 20 November 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  27. "Genoa, Cholito e Ocampos non bastano. Il Crotone c'è: finisce 2-2". La Gazetta dello Sport (in Italian). 22 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  28. Paul, Sumeet (30 January 2017). "AC Milan transfer news: €500k loan deal imminent as 22-year-old undergoes medical". Caught Offside. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  29. "AC Milan Official Statement". AC Milan. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  30. "Milan set to acquire Ocampos: the latest". Gianluca Dimarzio. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  31. "Milan-Ocampos: è anche ufficiale. Galliani chiude con 3 innesti". La Gazetta dello Sport (in Italian). 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  32. "Ocampos a fait ses débuts avec le Milan AC". Foot Marseille (in French). 5 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  33. Bregevin, Vincent (12 August 2017). "Ligue 1 : L'OM s'impose à Nantes grâce à un but de Lucas Ocampos (0-1)". Eurosport (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  34. "campos brace helps Marseille stun Nice". skysports.com. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  35. "Que vaut Lucas Ocampos, visé par le Torino ?". LÉquipe (in French). 11 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  36. "Marseille record biggest win in 70 years with Coupe de France demolition job". AS. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  37. "PREMIUMAvant la finale de l'Europa League entre l'Atletico Madrid et l'OM, le milieu de terrain argentin Lucas Ocampos a répondu aux questions du JDD" (in French). le JDD. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.(subscription required)
  38. "Griezmann inspires Atlético to Europa League glory". UEFA. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  39. Sheridan, Dan (3 July 2019). "Lucas Ocampos becomes Sevilla's latest summer signing after €15m switch". Goal. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  40. "Lucas Ocampos refuerza al Sevilla FC procedente des Olympique de Marsella". sevillafc.es. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  41. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 11 August 2020.
  42. "Lucas Ocampos and Sevilla have proven the perfect match". Football Espana. 3 September 2020.
  43. "Sevilla 3–2 Inter Milan". UEFA. 21 August 2020.
  44. "Bayern Munich 2–1 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 24 September 2020.
  45. "UEFA Super Cup: Sevilla's Lucas Ocampos scores no-look penalty vs Bayern Munich". GiveMeSport. 24 September 2020.
  46. "Ajax loans Lucas Ocampos from Sevilla FC". www.ajax.nl. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  47. "Transfer Antony Matheus dos Santos completed". english.ajax.nl. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  48. "Germany v Argentina game report". ESPN. 9 October 2019.
  49. Lucas Ocampos at WorldFootball.net
  50. Lucas Ocampos at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  51. Lucas Ocampos at National-Football-Teams.com
  52. "Atletico Madrid win Europa League with 3-0 victory over Marseille". BBC. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  53. "Sevilla FC vs. Internazionale - Football Match Line-Ups - August 21, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  54. "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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