Matías Vecino Falero (born 24 August 1991) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for Serie A club Lazio.
Vecino started his professional career with Central Español in 2010, and switched to Nacional for the 2011–12 season.
In January 2013, Vecino joined Serie A side Fiorentina by penning a four-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €2.5 million.[3] However, the transfer was delayed and became official in the next transfer window in August 2013.[4][5]
On 3 September 2013, he was not included by manager Vincenzo Montella in UEFA Europa League squad.[6]
Vecino made his competitive debut as well as his first Serie A one on 26 September 2013 in a 2–1 away defeat against Inter Milan.[7] He was used very scarcely during the first part of 2013–14 season, collecting only six appearances, only one as starter, leading the club to send him on loan at fellow Serie A side Cagliari until the end of the season, with an option to buy.[8][9][10]
Vecino spent the 2014–15 season on loan at Empoli.[11][12]
In mid-2015, Vecino returned to Florence and became a member of the first team. He signed a new five-year contract in 2016.[13][14]
On 31 July 2017, Fiorentina authorized Vecino to have a medical with Inter Milan,[15] in order to complete a reported €24 million transfer.[16] The transfer was made official on 2 August, with Vecino signing a contract until June 2021.[17]
He was given squad number 11, and made his competitive debut on 20 August in the opening Serie A matchday against his former side Fiorentina, featuring full-90 minutes as Inter won 3–0.[18] Vecino scored his maiden Inter goal six days later in the next match against Roma, netting the third goal in an eventual 3–1 away win, the first win at Stadio Olimpico over Roma after nine years.[19][20]
On 20 May 2018, Vecino scored the winning goal vs Lazio, in Inter's 3–2 win, a victory which allowed the club to return to the UEFA Champions League after a six-year absence.[21] On 18 September 2018, he scored an injury-time winning goal vs Tottenham Hotspur, in Inter's 2–1 win in the UEFA Champions League.[22]
On 1 August 2022, Vecino joined Lazio on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract.[23]
Vecino was born in Canelones, Uruguay, to a family of Italian ancestry, with roots in the city of Campobasso, and was eligible for both national teams.[24] He has been capped by the Uruguay national under-20 football team for the 2011 South American Youth Championship and for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[25][26] He scored the goal to qualify Uruguay for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.[27] Vecino's debut for the Uruguay senior team came on 25 March 2016 against Brazil.[28]
In May 2018, he was named in Uruguay's provisional 26-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[29]
On 27 May 2024, Vecino announced his retirement from the national team.[30]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Central Español | 2009–10 | Uruguayan Primera División | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | ||||
| Nacional | 2011–12 | Uruguayan Primera División | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | |
| 2012–13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | — | 8 | 2 | |||
| Total | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 23 | 5 | |||
| Fiorentina | 2013–14 | Serie A | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7[c] | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| 2016–17 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7[c] | 1 | — | 40 | 4 | |||
| Total | 67 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | 85 | 6 | |||
| Cagliari (loan) | 2013–14 | Serie A | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 2 | ||
| Empoli (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 2 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2017–18 | Serie A | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9[d] | 2 | — | 40 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4[e] | 1 | — | 25 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4[f] | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| Total | 104 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 3 | — | 127 | 13 | |||
| Lazio | 2022–23 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10[g] | 2 | — | 44 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | 31 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6[f] | 1 | 1[h] | 0 | 41 | 7 | ||
| 2024–25 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |||
| Total | 83 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 349 | 35 | 17 | 0 | 61 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 428 | 43 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2016 | 9 | 1 |
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1[a] | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 2016 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | 3 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 12 October 2018 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 29 |  South Korea |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 25 March 2019 | Guangxi Sports Center, Nanning, China | 33 |  Thailand |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2019 China Cup |
| 4 | 2 June 2022 | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States | 58 |  Mexico |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 28 March 2023 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 67 | South Korea |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 23 March 2024 | Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain | 70 |  Basque Country |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Nacional
Inter Milan
Uruguay squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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