Lucas Villalba enters Cruzeiro’s top 10 foreign appearance makers | OneFootball

The 3-0 victory over Corinthians marked a special achievement for Lucas Villalba. By reaching 82 matches wearing the celestial shirt, the Argentine defender officially entered the Top 10 of foreign players with the most appearances for the club, surpassing the Frenchman Bernard and taking the tenth position in the historical ranking.

The leadership remains with another Argentine: Lucas Romero, who totals 262 games combining his two stints (2016–2019 and 2024–2025). Ariel Cabral appears in second place, with 200 matches, followed by the Uruguayan Giorgian De Arrascaeta, in third place and the club's top foreign scorer, with 50 goals in 188 appearances.

In his second year at Toca da Raposa, Villalba is experiencing the most consistent moment since he arrived. Forming a duo with Fabrício Bruno, the Argentine has firmly established himself among the starters and participated in 42 matches in 2025, scoring two goals for the club. The Argentine's journey is marked by overcoming challenges and resilience.

When he arrived at Cruzeiro, coach Leonardo Jardim spoke about the defender's physical evolution since his debut against Democrata-GV in the Mineiro, leading up to the start of the Brazilian Championship, after going through a mid-season training period.

With the new milestone, Villalba surpassed the Frenchman Bernard, who was a goalkeeper and played 81 matches in the 1950s, and officially became one of the ten foreigners who have worn the Cruzeiro shirt the most.

The 10 foreign players with the most games for Cruzeiro:

1st – Lucas Romero (Argentina) – 262 games, 6 goals – 2016–2019 / 2024–20252nd – Ariel Cabral (Argentina) – 200 games, 4 goals – 2015–20213rd – De Arrascaeta (Uruguay) – 188 games, 50 goals – 2015–20184th – Marcelo Moreno (Bolivia) – 147 games, 54 goals – 2007–2008 / 2014 / 2020–20215th – Roberto Perfumo (Argentina) – 142 games, 6 goals – 1971–19746th – Maldonado (Chile) – 137 games, 4 goals – 2003–20057th – Juan Pablo Sorín (Argentina) – 127 games, 18 goals – 2000–2002 / 2004 / 2008–20098th – Walter Montillo (Argentina) – 122 games, 36 goals – 2010–20129th – Carazo (Spain) – 113 games, 44 goals – 1927–1931 / 1936–1937 / 1940–194210th – Lucas Villalba (Argentina) – 82 games, 2 goals – 2024–2025Source: Cruzeiropedia

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