Lautaro Díaz living his dream at Santos, ready for any role | OneFootball

Lautaro Díaz was officially introduced as the new reinforcement for Santos this Tuesday, at Vila Belmiro. The new center forward of Peixe received the shirt from the hands of the idol Abel Verônico and celebrated the opportunity to wear the shirt of a giant of Brazilian football.

"It's true that I lost a bit of space [at Cruzeiro] as you said, but I imagined in my head, when Santos calls you, there's not much to think about. One thing I don't care about is whether the team is fighting at the bottom or at the top. It's a team with a very big history, very important to me. I'm happy to be here. I'll try to earn my place," said the Argentine.

Lautaro Díaz was loaned by Cruzeiro to Santos and met two old acquaintances, on and off the field, upon his arrival at the team from Baixada Santista: the football director Alexandre Mattos and the striker Álvaro Barreal, who also passed through the Minas team.

(Photo: Thais Bueno/Gazeta Press)

The Argentine striker revealed a call from the new executive of Peixe, who convinced him to reinforce the Santos team. Barreal also played an important role in the chessboard and helped in the arrival of the new number 19 of the club.

"[Alexandre Mattos] was an important person, he called me. He already liked me at Cruzeiro and said he wanted to bring me here. I also spoke with Barreal, I have a good relationship with him. I said that I had the possibility to come here and he said: 'Brother, come, don't doubt it'," he said.

Many players were attracted to Santos by the opportunity to play with Neymar. The number 10 of Alvinegro Praiano had, in a way, an indirect role in the arrival of Lautaro Díaz. Despite this, he said he was more attracted by the greatness of the club as a whole and said he was fulfilling a dream.

"Obviously it's important to know that Neymar is here, that I'm going to play with him. He's very important for the players, but it's not just that. Just the name Santos for any player and for me is a childhood dream. That's what brought me here," Lautaro concluded.

Talk with Vojvoda and positioning on the field

Lautaro Díaz made himself available to coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda. A mobile center forward, he believes he can contribute on all fronts of the attack and will play wherever the coach wants.

The new number 19 of Santos started his career playing as a speed winger, but began to perform the function of a number nine in his last season at Independiente Del Valle, from Ecuador.

"I talked a little bit with him, it was all very fast when I arrived. He knows that I can play across the front of the attack. I'll try to play where he likes. If he wants me to play more in the middle, more on the wings, I'll try to play. I'll try to give the best performance. Whatever he asks, I'll try to do," he emphasized.

Lautaro Díaz signed a loan agreement valid until July 31, 2026 and is free to make his debut, as he has already been registered in the Daily Information Bulletin (BID) of the CBF.

Who is Lautaro Díaz?

Born in Buenos Aires, Lautaro Díaz started his career at Estudiantes de Caseros and went through Villa Dálmine-ARG before arriving at Independiente del Valle, from Ecuador, where he won the South American Cup in 2022, the South American Super Cup in 2023 and the Ecuador Super Cup in 2023.

The striker was hired by Cruzeiro in 2024. In total, there were 42 matches and four balls in the net for the Minas club. He was without space in Leonardo Jardim's team and headed to Santos in search of new horizons.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.