Giovani Lo Celso (born 9 April 1996) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Argentina national team.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5] He then went on to score his second of the campaign in a 3–2 defeat to Vélez Sarsfield on 10 April 2016.[6]
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.[7] He remained at Rosario Central on loan until 31 December 2016.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9]
On 8 May 2018, he scored as PSG won 2–0 against Les Herbiers VF to clinch the 2017–18 Coupe de France.[10]
On 31 August 2018, Lo Celso joined La Liga side Real Betis on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[11] Betis triggered this option on 16 April 2019 and Lo Celso joined the club on a permanent basis.[12] During his time at the club, Lo Celso made 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.[3]
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.[13] 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 that season.[14][15]
After three substitute appearances for the club, Lo Celso injured his hip while on international duty for Argentina.[16] 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.[17] On 14 January 2020, Lo Celso scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win for Spurs against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.[18]
Lo Celso's contract was made permanent on 28 January 2020 with the new deal running until the summer of 2025.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
On 31 January 2022, Lo Celso joined La Liga club Villarreal on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season.[22] On 14 August 2022, he rejoined Villarreal on loan for the 2022–23 season.[23] In November 2022, Lo Celso suffered a hamstring injury, which was successfully operated by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in Turku, Finland.[24]
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.[25][26] In the following game, Lo Celso scored his second goal of the 2023–24 season in a 3–3 draw against Manchester City.[27]
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.[28] He made his first notable impact after his return on 18 September 2024, scoring twice in a 2–1 league victory against Getafe, including a penalty and a deflected strike.[29]
Due to some impressive performances at Rosario Central, Lo Celso earned a call-up to the Argentina U23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[30] 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.[31][better source needed]
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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.[32]
In May 2018, Lo Celso was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia;[33] he was later included in the final 23-man selection for the tournament.[34][35]
In May 2019, Lo Celso was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América.[36] 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.[37]
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.[38] He was not included in the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, due to a hamstring injury.[39]
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.
Born in Argentina, Lo Celso also holds an Italian passport due to his Italian heritage.[40] His younger brother Francesco is also a professional footballer and currently plays for Rosario Central.[41]
| 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[a] | 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 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | 1 | 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[c] | 5 | — | 45 | 16 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur (loan) | 2019–20 | Premier League | 28 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | — | 37 | 2 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2020–21 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[c] | 4 | — | 28 | 5 | ||
| 2021–22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5[d] | 2 | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 2 | ||||
| Tottenham total | 77 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 7 | — | 108 | 11 | |||
| Villarreal (loan) | 2021–22 | La Liga | 16 | 1 | — | — | 6[b] | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | — | 51 | 3 | ||||
| Real Betis | 2024–25 | La Liga | 25 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[e] | 1 | — | 34 | 9 | ||
| 2025–26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 37 | 10 | ||||
| Career total | 249 | 31 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 62 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 349 | 49 | ||
| 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 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 61 | 3 | |
| 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 |
Paris Saint-Germain
Tottenham Hotspur
Betis
Argentina
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.]
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