Lucho Acosta was one of the highlights of this Wednesday’s games (19/11) by scoring a great goal that opened the scoring for Fluminense in a 2-0 partial victory over Flamengo, at Maracanã. The Argentine attacking midfielder, announced by Tricolor on August 8, was bought by 4 million dollars (R$ 22 million in the period) with FC Dallas, from the United States, which sold 100% of the athlete. The contract runs until December 2028.
Great goal! Acosta hits the cover and opens the scoring for Fluminense at Fla-Flu! #soccer #fluminense #Flemish #brazilian pic.twitter.com/tmEXZRfw5i
— ge (@geglobo) November 20, 2025
Luciano “Lucho” Acosta’s trajectory is marked by overcoming, twists and turns and moments that even remind us of the story of Lionel Messi. Before standing out as one of Fluminense’s main names and taking on an important role in Luis Zubeldía’s team, the Argentine midfielder had to face physical and psychological challenges that almost put his career at risk. Pupil of Juan Román Riquelme and elected the best player in MLS in 2023, the 31-year-old athlete demonstrates on the field that his talent overcomes any limitations imposed by his 1.60 m height.
Lucho Acosta: history and career
Just like Messi, one of his great idols, Lucho was born in Rosario and grew up being treated like a jewel for his skill. The most striking coincidence between the two, however, is their growing difficulties. While Messi was diagnosed at the age of nine with a hormone deficiency, Acosta received a similar diagnosis as a teenager. He says that a doctor even stated that his growth had reached its limit. From that moment on, he stopped measuring himself and started focusing on physical preparation: “I went to the gym to look good physically and started focusing on myself”, he recalled.
The feeling of being left behind was evident in the youth teams at Boca Juniors, where he arrived at the age of 13. While his teammates grew, he remained below average. In situations like this, dismissal is common, but the Argentine club supported his stay. Even so, Lucho admits that he thought about abandoning football before turning professional. The support of his family and Boca, however, kept him on the path.
The family, in fact, yielded a curious story. The player revealed to Diário Olé that his mother was truly terrified of people who tattooed other people’s names. Ignoring her fear, Lucho did just that for his first two tattoos – his parents’ names, written in Arabic so no one would know the meaning. At home, he said they meant “love” and “peace”, until one day he decided to tell the truth.
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If at times her trajectory was close to Messi’s, within Boca Juniors she connected deeply with Riquelme’s. The Xeneize idol became a kind of mentor, and Lucho’s big breakthrough came when Juan Román was injured at the same time that Leandro Paredes was loaned to Roma. Coach Claudio Bianchi bet on the young man, who quickly won over the fans. In 2014, at the age of 19, he made his professional debut and experienced one of the most symbolic moments of his career when he became the first player to wear Boca’s number 10 shirt after Riquelme left.
After leaving the Argentine club, his destination seemed to be Coritiba – the agreement was in line, and the midfielder was expected in the capital of Paraná. However, DC United entered the negotiation and acquired his rights, taking him to the United States. From then on, his career took new directions: there were attempts to sign him for Corinthians, in 2024, and Atlético-MG, at the beginning of 2025, but MLS teams always made it difficult for him to leave.
His time in the United States also yielded remarkable moments. Lucho shone in MLS, was voted the league’s best player in 2023 and became considered one of the biggest names in the history of the championship until Messi’s arrival. But his life could have changed completely in 2019, when he came very close to signing with Paris Saint-Germain. DC United received an offer close to 10 million dollars, and Lucho even traveled to France on the final day of the window. He underwent medical examinations, heard which numbers he could wear and chose the number 18 shirt. Everything was agreed – until the Americans rejected the offer at the last minute. The frustration affected his performance, and he left the club months later, signing with Atlas, from Mexico, when his contract ended.
At DC United, Lucho also had a great partnership with Wayne Rooney. The duo, nicknamed “LuchoRoo”, made an epoch. The most famous move came against Orlando City, when Rooney recovered the ball almost at the end and crossed for Acosta to head home in the 51st minute. The midfielder said that the two had a special connection on the field, even with the language barrier: “He taught me a lot. He was like a conductor for me.” Lucho himself reveals that the dialogue before the epic move even involved a joke about who would come back to score – and it ended up being Rooney who ran across the field to recover the ball that would result in the goal.
On a day like today, five years ago, Rooney and Lucho Acosta invented one of the most epic plays in recent years in football.pic.twitter.com/o9UumHc3GC
— Jorge Garrett (@garrett_bol) August 12, 2023
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