Hirving Lozano


Hirving Rodrigo Lozano Bahena is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club Napoli and the Mexico national football team. He is popularly known by his nickname Chucky.
Lozano began his career with Pachuca, winning the 2016 Clausura and the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League, playing in 152 games and scoring 44 goals for the team. In June 2017, he signed for Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and won the Eredivisie in his first season in the Netherlands, and also finished as the team's top scorer. In 2019, Lozano signed for Napoli for a reported €42 million, making him the most expensive Mexican player of all time.
Participating with various youth teams, Lozano won the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and played at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He made his senior international debut in February 2016 and represented the nation at the Copa America Centenario, 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Pachuca

Lozano joined Pachuca in 2009 as part of its youth team. On 8 February 2014, Lozano made his Liga MX debut against Club América, in which he scored five minutes after his substitution in the 1–0 win at the Estadio Azteca. In his debut tournament with the first team – the Clausura 2014 – Lozano finished runner-up with Pachuca, even scoring the third goal in the 3–2 first leg final win over León.
On 30 August 2014, Lozano scored his first brace against León, winning 2–1. On 13 September 2014, he would score Pachuca's only goal in a 1–1 draw against Tijuana.
On 19 September 2015, Lozano scored an equalizer seven minutes after Dorados scored first in a league match where Pachuca went on to win 2–1. On 27 February 2016, Lozano scored the first and only goal of the encounter on the first minute of the match against Toluca, with the win placing them first place on the general table. On 19 March, Lozano scored his first hat-trick in Pachuca's 6–0 defeat of Veracruz. Lozano contributed two goals during the semifinal legs of the 2016 Clausura championship against León, giving his team an aggregate score of 3–2. Pachuca won the league title after they defeated Monterrey 2–1 on aggregate in the finals of the Clausura 2016 tournament. Lozano was included in the Best XI of the Clausura 2016 tournament.
On 16 July 2016, Lozano scored a brace and contributed an assist in the first league match against León, winning 5–1. On 13 September, during the 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League group stage, he scored four goals against Police United, helping Pachuca set the record for the biggest win in the history of the competition with an 11–0 victory. On 15 October, Lozano would contribute an assist and score in Pachuca's 3–0 victory over Santos Laguna. Lozano finished the Apertura 2016 tournament as the highest-scoring Mexican player with seven goals. He would go on to be listed on the Best XI of the Apertura 2016.
On the opening matchday of the Clausura 2017, on 17 January, he scored a hat-trick against León in Pachuca's 4–2 victory. In April, during the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals against FC Dallas, Lozano scored two goals during the last 10 minutes of the match, helping the team win 3–1, and with an aggregate score of 4–3, qualify to the finals. The following month, Pachuca won the CONCACAF Champions League by defeating fellow Mexican club Tigres UANL in the finals, with Lozano winning the Golden Boot as the competition's top scorer with eight goals, as well as the Best Young Player Award.

PSV Eindhoven

2017–18 season

On 19 June 2017, Dutch club PSV Eindhoven announced the signing of Lozano on a six-year contract.
Lozano made his competitive debut for PSV in the Europa League qualifiers against Croatian side Osijek, playing in both legs as they failed to make the group stage as a result of a 2–0 aggregate score. On 12 August, Lozano scored on his Eredivisie debut with PSV against AZ Alkmaar. He started and played 84 minutes in his team's 3–2 victory, receiving a standing ovation from the home fans as he was subbed off. A week later, he scored once again and provided an assist in PSV's 4–0 win over NAC Breda. The following week, Lozano scored again in PSV's 2–0 victory against Roda JC; he became the first player to score in his first three games with PSV, and he was later named Eredivisie Player of the Month for the month of August. On 10 September 2017, Lozano received his first red card for PSV in a 2–0 defeat against SC Heerenveen.
On 17 February 2018, Lozano received his second red card of the season, again during a league match against Heerenveen, for making contact with defender Lucas Woudenberg's face. He was handed a three-match suspension which was ultimately upheld by the KNVB disciplinary committee after a failed appeal by PSV. Lozano made his return on 18 March, scoring the second goal in PSV's 3–0 victory over VVV Venlo, his 14th goal of the season.
Lozano won the Eredivisie title with PSV following their 3–0 win over rivals Ajax on 15 April. He ended the season as the team's highest scorer in the league with 17 league goals and providing 11 assists.

2018–19 season

Lozano appeared as a second-half substitute in PSV's first match of the 2018–19 season, against Feyenoord in the 2018 Johan Cruyff Shield. With the match tied 0–0 at full time and going into penalties, Lozano successfully converted one but ended on the losing side of a 6–5 loss. On 11 August, Lozano scored in PSV's 2018–19 Eredivisie opener against FC Utrecht, scoring the third goal in their 4–0 victory. He scored again the following week in a 2–1 victory over Fortuna Sittard. Three days later, Lozano made his UEFA Champions League debut against BATE; he scored PSV's second goal in their 3–2 victory in the first-leg of the playoff qualification round.
On 15 September, he would score two goals against ADO in a 7–0 thrashing, with former Pachuca teammate Érick Gutiérrez contributing the assist for the second goal three minutes after being substituted in. Three days later, he made his UEFA Champions League group stage debut against Barcelona, playing all ninety minutes in PSV's 4–0 defeat. Lozano scored another brace on 6 October against VVV, scoring the first and final goal in PSV's 4–0 victory. On 20 October, he was directly involved in half of PSV's goals in their 6–0 victory over FC Emmen, contributing two assists and one goal. Four days later, he scored his first goal in the Champions League group stage as PSV drew 2–2 with Tottenham Hotspur, also managing to send Hugo Lloris off with a red card due to an outside-of-the-box infraction. On 24 November, Lozano would score twice and provide an assist in PSV's 3–0 victory over SC Heerenveen. Lozano scored in PSV's 1–1 draw with Inter Milan in the final group stage match of the Champions League on 11 December. He was subsequently named in the Champions League breakthrough team of 2018.
On 25 April 2019, during a match against Willem II, Lozano was stretchered off the field after a challenge from Freek Heerkens. It was initially thought that the player may have suffered cruciate ligament damage and was facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, however that was eventually ruled out. The club later released a statement stating Lozano would miss the remainder of the season.

Napoli

On 23 August 2019, Lozano officially joined Italian club Napoli. He reportedly signed a five-year contract with a transfer fee of US$46.5 million, making Lozano Napoli's most expensive signing, as well as the highest transfer fee paid for a Mexican player, and the largest fee received by PSV Eindhoven for a player. Eight days later, Lozano made his Serie A debut as a second-half substitute against Juventus in Turin, scoring his side's second goal in a 4–3 defeat.
After Carlo Ancelotti's sacking, Gennaro Gattuso was named as the new manager and as a result, Lozano has had little playing time.

International career

Mexico U-20

On 8 May 2015, Lozano was called up by Sergio Almaguer to participate in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. In the first group stage match against Cuba, he scored a brace and added four assists in Mexico's 9–1 win, placing them first in their group. He went on to score three more goals and notched another assist in the tournament. Mexico went on to win the tournament, thus earning entry to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Finishing with five goals, he was proclaimed the Golden Boot winner along with tied United States midfielder Romain Gall; Lozano was also named in the tournament's Best XI. Lozano was then called up to participate in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup with Mexico, where he would appear in all three group stage matches but Mexico would finish last in the group.

Mexico U-23

On 18 September 2015, Lozano was selected by coach Raúl Gutierrez to play in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship. He scored Mexico's second goal in the 2–0 semi-final win over Canada.
Mexico ultimately won the tournament after defeating Honduras 2–0 in the final, with Lozano being awarded the tournament's Golden Ball as well as being included in the tournament's Best XI.
On 7 July 2016, Lozano was named in Mexico's 18-man squad that would participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Mexico's third group stage match against South Korea on 10 August, Lozano was sent off in stoppage time after shoving a Korean player. Mexico lost the match 1–0, finishing third in their group and were thus eliminated from the competition.

Mexico national team

Lozano received his first senior call-up to the national team in February 2016 under coach Juan Carlos Osorio. On 10 February, Lozano earned his first cap as a starter in the friendly against Senegal, assisting fellow Pachuca teammate Rodolfo Pizarro in the second goal as Mexico won the match 2–0. On 25 March 2016, Lozano scored his first international goal for Mexico in the 39th minute of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying third round match against Canada, which Mexico won 3–0.
On 8 June 2017, Lozano was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. In Mexico's final group stage match of the tournament against hosts Russia on 24 June, Lozano scored Mexico's second goal in a 2–1 win after chasing a long clearance from Héctor Herrera and beating goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev to the ball towards the edge of the box, allowing Lozano to nip in and head it into the open net. His performance led him to be named man of the match.
On 1 September 2017, during a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Panama, Lozano scored the game's only goal in Mexico's victory, booking their qualification to the tournament. On 10 November, he scored his first brace with the national team in a 3–3 draw against Belgium, scoring off a lobbed ball from Héctor Herrera on the 56th minute and scoring off a volley following a rebound from his first shot off of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois two minutes later.
On 4 June 2018, Lozano was named in Mexico's 23-man squad for the World Cup. On 17 June, he scored the lone goal, thanks to an assist by Javier Hernández, in Mexico's opening group match win over defending champions Germany. He was named FIFA Man of the Match for his performance. On 23 June, in Mexico's second group stage match against South Korea, Lozano provided the assist to Javier Hernández in scoring Mexico's second goal in their 2–1 win. Lozano started in all four matches for Mexico during the World Cup as they were eliminated by Brazil in the round-of-16.
Lozano was included in coach Gerardo Martino's preliminary squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, however he was subsequently ruled out of the tournament after having not fully recovered from a knee injury suffered while playing with PSV.

Style of play

Mainly right-footed, Lozano is generally deployed on the left wing, but can also play on the right or as a central striker. A versatile and creative player, with good technique and an eye for goal, Lozano's shooting and crossing abilities have produced good returns of goals and assists for club and country.
Lozano's style of play has been described as: "Playing on the left side of a 4–2–3–1 the vast majority of the time, right-footed Lozano has all the attributes of a classic inverted winger. Possessing great power in his right foot, he's often dangerous when shooting after cutting in from the left-hand side. is equally adept at creating chances as well as scoring them, with a strong left-foot he’s able to deliver crosses after taking the ball down the line, although he elects to cut inside more often than choosing to go outside the opposition full-back. Lozano also has quite good creative vision, particularly for a 20 year-old." He has also been described as being "uick with or without the ball and possessing a powerful and accurate shot." Although more widely known for his offensive prowess, he also offers a high defensive work rate through his speed and constant pressing on the ball when not in possession, willing to chase down loose balls and often forcing defenders and goalkeepers to clear the ball long, allowing his team to win the ball back quickly, or even managing to steal the ball, as a result, he was PSV's highest-pressing player during his stay at the Dutch club. As a result of his diminutive stature and agile playing style, he is often the victim of various fouls, at one point becoming the most-fouled-on player in various seasons of the Liga MX.
Lozano has been criticized for a lack of discipline: railing against authority during his time with Pachuca, being involved in on-field incidents with little provocation, and picking up eight red cards despite at a young age: five with Pachuca, one with the Mexico U-23 team, and two red cards in his first season at PSV. Dutch psychiatrist, Bram Bakker, told Dutch newspaper AD that "There is something wrong with the control of impulses. The problem is almost the same as that of Luis Suárez. Both of them are winners, they have a vulnerable side and that is what all the defenders know."
In 2015, Lozano was named by Don Balón as one of the best players in the world born after 1994. Upon his arrival to PSV Eindhoven, he was named among the top Eredevisie young players to watch for the 2017–18 season. FIFA named Lozano in their list of young stars of 2017. Multiple sources considered him a breakout star of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He was listed on Goal.com's 2018 Goal 50 list of the fifty best players in the world. He was also included in The Guardian's 2018 list of The 100 best footballers in the world. FourFourTwo included Lozano in their 2018 list of the 100 Best Football Players in the World.
Lozano has cited Rafael Márquez and Damián Álvarez as players he grew up idolizing.

Personal life

Lozano has a younger brother named Bryan Mauricio who is also a footballer, playing as a midfielder for Club Universidad Nacional.
Lozano married his girlfriend Ana Obregon in 2014, whom he met while playing for Pachuca. The pair have two children; a daughter born in 2014, and a son born in 2017.

Nickname

Lozano is popularly known by his nick name Chucky, after the doll of the Child's Play horror film series. He reportedly got the moniker during his youth career, as he used to hide under team-mates' beds and scare them.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.25 March 2016BC Place, Vancouver, Canada2–03–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.8 June 2017Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico2–03–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.24 June 2017Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia2–12–12017 FIFA Confederations Cup
4.1 September 2017Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.6 October 2017Estadio Alfonso Lastras, San Luis Potosí, Mexico1–13–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.10 November 2017King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium2–23–3Friendly
7.10 November 2017King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium3–23–3Friendly
8.17 June 2018Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup
9.22 March 2019SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, United States3–03–1Friendly
10.11 October 2019Bermuda National Stadium, Devonshire Parish, Bermuda4–15–12019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A

Honours

Club

Pachuca
PSV Eindhoven
Napoli
Mexico Youth