Matías Lacava

Matías Rafael Lacava González (born 24 October 2002) is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga Portugal 2 club Vizela and the Venezuela national team.

Club career Early career Born in Chacao, Caracas, Lacava joined FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2013, aged ten, from hometown side Fratelsa Sport FC. He left the club in 2015 after having "contractual problems", and moved to Lazio.

In the 2018 summer, Lacava left Lazio and returned to his home country with Academia Puerto Cabello. On 16 January 2019, under the authorization of FIFA, he signed a youth contract with S.L. Benfica, but returned to Puerto Cabello in July.

Academia Puerto Cabello Lacava made his first team debut for Academia Puerto Cabello on 28 July 2019, coming on as a half-time substitute for Joaquín Suárez in a 2–1 home loss against Aragua. He scored his first professional goals six days later, netting a brace in a 3–2 away win against Metropolitanos; it was his first start as a senior.

Loan to Santos On 3 August 2021, Lacava joined Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Santos on loan until December 2022, and was initially assigned to the under-23 team. He made his first team debut on 13 November, replacing Marcos Guilherme in a 0–0 away draw against Atlético Goianiense.

On 31 January 2022, Santos announced that Lacava's loan was terminated on a "mutual agreement".

Loan to Tondela On 31 January 2022, just hours after leaving Santos, Lacava returned to Portugal after agreeing to a six-month loan deal with Tondela. On 27 June 2023, Vizela announced that the loan would be extended for another season, until June 2024.

International career Lacava represented Venezuela at under-17 and under-23 levels in the 2019 South American U-17 Championship and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, respectively. On 31 May 2021, he was called up to the full side by manager José Peseiro for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Bolivia and Uruguay.

Personal life Lacava is the son of Carabobo state governor , who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in February 2019. The sanctions were imposed because he was considered an official aligned with the Maduro regime, involved in corruption, and for allegedly blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid.

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