Luciano Daniel Figueroa (born May 19, 1981 in Santa Fé,
Argentina) is an Argentine football striker, who currently plays
for Villarreal CF of La Liga.
Figueroa began his professional career with Rosario Central of
Argentina, where he formed a partnership with César Delgado.
Both he and Delgado left after the 2003 Clausura, however, with
Figueroa being bought by Birmingham F.C. of England for 2.5
million pounds. He only made one appearance for Birmingham,
however, before he was loaned to Cruz Azul of Mexico, acquired
on the recommendation of former teammate Delgado.
Figueroa immediately found his old form with Cruz Azul, scoring
11 goals in 19 games in the 2004 Clausura. He maintained his for
in the 2004 Apertura, scoring 10 goals in 15 games for the club.
His exceptional performances for Cruz Azul led to a transfer to
Spain, as Villarreal bought his contract for 2.1 million pounds.
Figueroa has made appearances for the Argentina national
football team, greatly impressing with his performance in the
Copa América 2004, and was part of the gold medal Argentinian
team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. |
