Santiago Lencina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Lencina in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Santiago Javier Lencina | ||
| Date of birth | 4 September 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Corzuela, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | River Plate | ||
| Number | 39 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Club Atlético Deportivo Obreros Unidos | |||
| 2018–2025 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | River Plate | 19 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| 2025– | Argentina U20 | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Santiago Javier Lencina (born 4 September 2005) is an Argentine professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine Primera División club River Plate.
Early career
Lencina was born on 4 September 2005 on Corzuela, Argentina. He started playing football at a local club called Club Atlético Deportivo Obreros Unidos, he arrived at River Plate's academy in 2018 after passing the academy's test led by ex-player Alejandro Montenegro. He ascended towards the reserves of River Plate, where he made 49 appearances with 9 goals scored.[1][2]
River Plate
Lencina made his professional debut on 4 August 2024 in a 1-1 draw against Union, under the leadership of Marcelo Escudero, the temporary manager after manager Martín Demichelis got sacked. He wouldn't get many chances on the team until the return of Marcelo Gallardo, where he got called up for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, although he didn't play a single match.[3][1][2] In the league, he played in the first match of the Torneo Clausura, in a 3-1 win against reigning champions Platense. After this, Lencina got in the starting XI again versus Instituto, where he scored two goals, scoring for the first time a professional goal.[1][2] He has a contract with the club until December 2028 and a release clause of 100 million euros.[1][2][4]
International career
While still on the River Plate reserves, Javier Mascherano, coach of the Argentinian U20, was impressed by his performance and had called him up to play for the U20, in three friendlies against Paraguay.[1][2]