Matías Lacava

Matías Lacava
Lacava in 2025
Personal information
Full name Matías Rafael Lacava González
Date of birth (2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth Caracas, Venezuela
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Vizela
Number 36
Youth career
Fratelsa Sport
2013–2015 Barcelona
2015–2018 Lazio
2018–2019 Academia Puerto Cabello
2019 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019 Benfica 0 (0)
2019–2024 Academia Puerto Cabello 42 (11)
2021–2022 → Santos (loan) 2 (0)
2022–2023 → Tondela (loan) 16 (1)
2023–2024 → Vizela (loan) 38 (2)
2024 → Atlético Goianiense (loan) 12 (0)
2025–2026 Ulsan HD 24 (2)
2026– Vizela 13 (1)
International career‡
2019 Venezuela U17 1 (0)
2020– Venezuela U23 3 (0)
2022–2023 Venezuela U20 4 (0)
2024– Venezuela 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:11 AEST, 14 November 2025

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 Rafael Lacava [es], 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.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 5 October 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Academia Puerto Cabello 2019 Venezuelan Primera División 15431———185
2020 197————197
2021 80——20—100
Total 421131—20—4712
Santos (loan) 2021 Série A 20———5070
Tondela (loan) 2021–22 Primeira Liga 3010———40
2022–23 Liga Portugal 2 1313040—50211
Total 1614040—10251
Vizela (loan) 2022–23 Primeira Liga 151————151
2023–24 2002020——240
2024–25 31————31
Total 3822020——422
Atlético Goianiense (loan) 2024 Série A 120————120
Ulsan HD 2025 K League 1 241—203030291
Vizela 2025–26 Liga Portugal 2 2 0 — — — — 2 0
Career total 1361591805013016816
  1. ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
  3. 1 2 Appearances in Taça da Liga
  4. ↑ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  5. ↑ Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
  6. ↑ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

As of match played 14 November 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Venezuela 202420
202520
Total40

References

  1. ↑ "ESPECIAL | Descubrimos a Matías Lacava, un talento en ascenso" [SPECIAL | Discovering Matías Lacava, a talent on the rise] (in Spanish). Grada Digital. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Lazio, alla scoperta del venezuelano Matias Lacava" [Lazio, discovering the Venezuelan Matias Lacava] (in Italian). Gazzetta Regionale. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "FIFA dá carta branca para Benfica contratar jóia venezuelana" [FIFA gives green light for Benfica to sign Venezuelan pearl] (in Portuguese). Record. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Matías Lacava assina pelo Benfica" [Matías Lacava signs for Benfica] (in Portuguese). SL Benfica. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "(+VIDEO) Matías Lacava "la rompió" en su debut con Academia Puerto Cabello" [(+VIDEO) Matías Lacava "broke it down" on his debut with Academia Puerto Cabello] (in Spanish). SoloVenEx. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Venezuelano Lacava é o novo reforço do Santos FC" [Venezuelan Lacava is the new addition of Santos FC] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Lacava comemora estreia no time profissional do Santos: 'Orgulho e alegria'" [Lacava celebrates debut in the first team of Santos: 'Pride and joy'] (in Brazilian Portuguese). A Tribuna. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Santos FC rescinde o contrato do atleta Matias Lacava" [Santos rescind the contract of athlete Matias Lacava] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "MATÍAS LACAVA É AURIVERDE" [MATÍAS LACAVA IS YELLOW-AND-GREEN] (in Portuguese). CD Tondela. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Matías Lacava fica em Vizela por mais uma época" [Matías Lacava stays in Vizela for one more season]. FC Vizela (in European Portuguese). 27 June 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "La polémica con Matías Lacava: el Vinotinto criticado por su apellido" [The controversy with Matías Lacava: the Vinotinto criticized due to his surname] (in Spanish). Todos A Hora. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Polémica en Venezuela por llamado del hijo de un gobernador chavista a la selección de fútbol" [Controversy in Venezuela due to the call-up of a son of a chavista governor to the national football team] (in Spanish). Al Navío. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "Jovem do Benfica 'provoca' evacuação de zona de imprensa na Venezuela" [Benfica youngster 'provokes' evacuation of the press zone in Venezuela] (in Portuguese). Record. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Treasury Sanctions Governors of Venezuelan States Aligned with Maduro" [Treasury Sanctions Governors of Venezuelan States Aligned with Maduro]. U.S. Department of the Treasury. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Matías Lacava at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 June 2021.