Who is Lucas Torreira, the young figure from Uruguay who joined Arsenal

"I will never change" Lucas Torreira smiles, surrounded by his family and childhood friends while enjoying a few days at his home in Fray Bentos during the holidays of January. It may be the same thing, but everything changes on the midfielder of the Uruguayan national team. "It's true, people recognize me more now, in Uruguay they never knew me as I left so young," he told Ovacion

Torreira, 22, left the house at age 17, packed up to leave Pescara in Italy even before he made his debut in his country. A 10 who has impressed since he moved to the capital to join Montevideo Wanderers in 2013 and was immediately signed by the Italian club, who did not see him much before Sampdoria.

The Uruguayan midfielder reached an agreement to go to the Samp in July 2015, but continued in Pescara one more season. In an increasingly common trend in European football, Torreira has followed in the footsteps of players like Leandro Paredes, since has become a defensive midfielder. "It was a pre-season training and the club told me to see him and said:" Otherwise, we will send him back to Uruguay. "I saw football, personality, physical strength … but I always wanted to. So I said to him," Why do not you play as a defensive midfielder rather than a man. " 39, as a designer I promoted him to the first team immediately, "said Mbadimo Oddo at La Repubblica

From behind, Torreira found the space needed to build games and lead Pescara to promotion, immediately winning comparisons with a former club player like Marco Verratti . The Uruguayan is barely taller than the Italian midfielder and showed the same balance, the same strength and the same creativity that allowed him to go to PSG.

In Sampdoria, he resumed his career where he left and became a full midfielder adding a defensive ability and tactical discipline to his game, which allowed him to be a pillar of the team. Genovese last season. He finished among the top ten (1907 good badists) of Serie A, in addition to being the second player with the most attempts (101) and won (73).

As if that were not enough, only five Italian football players received more faults than Torreira who in 2017/18 used his body in an impressive way to provoke faults that he can then launch himself. In fact, two of his four goals this season came this way, including one of the best goals of the year with an incredible 30 – meter shot against Chievo.

"If Torreira measured 1.80, it would cost 100 million euros and would be considered one of the most promising players in the world. Can play in short or long He gets back the ball, start the game and always seems to know where the ball will be, he will go to a big club that does not care so much about his stature, "said coach Sampdoria Marco Giampaolo at Corriere dello Sport a few months ago . that the president of the institution, Mbadimo Ferrero, confirmed his transfer to Arsenal in exchange for 30 million euros which became official when the participation of Uruguay in the Russia 2018 has been completed.

It's over, it's #HorseDeTorreira ?

Welcome to Arsenal, @ LTorreira34 ? pic.twitter.com/vAnEmRCG2D
– Arsenal FC Spanish (@OfficialAFC_ES) July 10, 2018

Precisely, the World Cup was the ideal setting for the ascent of Torreira. He won a place on the Oscar Tabárez team at the last minute and in the World Cup went on increasing to become the Uruguayan midfielder : he entered 3 minutes after starting against Egypt, played the last half-hour against Saudi Arabia and started against Russia and Portugal, a consecrated party in which was the shadow from Cristiano Ronaldo. "We needed a step between the midfielders who played and the defense, and he quickly adapted," said the Maestro about his young figure.

Although he insists that this will never change, everything seems to indicate that after the World Cup, it will be time for Torreira, who is waiting for a new challenge in the Premier League.