Grêmio Born in
Dourados,
Mato Grosso do Sul, Lucas began his career at
Grêmio as a midfielder in 2005. The following year was a successful year for him, as Grêmio won the
Rio Grande do Sul state championship (the
Campeonato Gaúcho) for the first time since 2001, and also came third in the
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Lucas also became the youngest player ever to receive
Placar magazine's
Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball), given to the best player in the Campeonato Brasileiro – an honour previously won by the likes of
Zico,
Falcão,
Careca,
Alex,
Romário,
Robinho,
Kaká and
Carlos Tevez. His form in 2006 led to reported interest from many major European clubs including
Milan,
Palermo,
Manchester United,
Inter Milan,
Juventus,
Atlético Madrid and
Barcelona. It was
Liverpool that proved most attractive to the player, however, and on 13 May 2007, the club confirmed they had signed the player from Grêmio before the start of the
2007–08 season. The transfer fee was in the region of £6 million.
Liverpool 2007–2009 On 26 July 2007, he was officially unveiled as a Liverpool player for a fee of £5 million and was given international clearance to compete in the final of the
Barclays Asia Trophy. By late November 2007, manager
Rafael Benítez gave Lucas his chance to start a match in the Liverpool midfield after easing him in during his first few months at the club. Lucas scored his first goal for Liverpool on 26 January 2008 when he curled a 25-yard shot into the top corner in a 5–2 win against
Havant & Waterlooville in the
FA Cup, becoming the first-ever Brazilian to score for Liverpool. in 2009 The start of the
2008–09 season signified an important turning point for his career. Many commentators expected him to step up to the next level after completing his first season with the Reds. The Brazilian got off to a good start with a well taken opening goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Swiss side
Lucerne in July. He impressed in pre-season games but missed the start of Premier League season due to his selection for Brazil in the
Olympics. Lucas returned with a bronze medal and Benítez had high hopes for the Brazilian's future, stating, "This season he will improve because he is a very, very good professional and has experience of the Olympic Games." Lucas noted that Liverpool's squad was much improved from the previous season and relished the opportunity to compete for trophies, despite the increased difficulty of getting a first-team place. However, after a number of disappointing performances, both critics and fans voiced concerns about Lucas' quality and his confidence was further knocked when Liverpool fans booed him after a lacklustre 0–0 draw against
Fulham. The criticism irked Benítez and he responded with a passionate defence of the player, saying that "people just don't know how good Lucas is." Benítez also underlined Lucas' credentials, stating that he had been
captain for both Grêmio and his national youth team, and that completing for place against
Steven Gerrard,
Xabi Alonso and
Javier Mascherano was inherently difficult. Lucas' performances in December 2008 for Liverpool drew him much praise from pundits, the highlight being his performance in the 5–1 thrashing of
Newcastle United, where he provided an assist for Steven Gerrard. Lucas was
sent-off in a FA Cup fourth round match against
Merseyside rivals Everton, which Liverpool lost. This compounded his growing unpopularity amongst Liverpool's supporters, after he gave away a late
penalty in Liverpool's previous match, a 1–1 draw with
Wigan Athletic. On 14 March 2009, Lucas played a key role in Liverpool's 4–1 victory over
Manchester United at
Old Trafford, starting in place of Xabi Alonso. On 14 April, Lucas played against
Chelsea in the
Champions League, in place of Steven Gerrard. He scored a goal with his long-range effort in the 81st minute deflected off
Michael Essien and past goalkeeper
Petr Čech to make the score 3–3.
Dirk Kuyt's header a minute later briefly gave Liverpool the lead, but
Frank Lampard's 89th-minute strike leveled the score to 4–4, with Chelsea winning 7–5 on aggregate to go through to the semi-finals of the tournament. On 3 May 2009, Lucas scored his first Premier League goal, a header from a free-kick in 3–0 win against Newcastle United. During the
2009–10 pre-season period, Lucas showed good form scoring Liverpool's only goal in a 2–1 loss against
Atlético Madrid. This form earned praise from manager Rafael Benítez, and gained him a start against
Tottenham Hotspur for the opening game of the 2009–10 season on 16 August. Liverpool lost 2–1, but Lucas earned praise for a solid performance all round.
2010–2013 On 8 April 2010, Lucas scored his second European goal for Liverpool, scoring in a 4–1 (5–3 aggregate) quarter-final win over
Benfica in the
UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. In pre-season games before the
2010–11 season, Lucas was made captain of a youthful Liverpool side against
Grasshopper. On 16 September 2010, Lucas scored his sixth goal for Liverpool shortly after replacing
Ryan Babel in the club's first UEFA Europa League
group stage match against
Steaua București. The goal was Liverpool's third in a 4–1 victory and was scored from 22 yards. On 13 November 2010, Lucas was sent-off for the second time in his Liverpool career after being shown a second yellow card in injury time in a 2–0 defeat to
Stoke City. On 6 December, Lucas was voted the fan's pick for
Man of the Match on the official Liverpool website. He provided an assist for Ryan Babel, in a 3–0 win over
Aston Villa on 6 December. Lucas was awarded
Liverpool Player of the Year Award in May 2011. On 30 March 2011, Lucas signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool. After a good run of form for Liverpool, his season was cut short on 1 December 2011, when he suffered an
ACL injury after colliding with
Juan Mata in a 2–0 win over Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the
League Cup. On 10 April 2013, Lucas signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool keeping him at the club until 2018. He was a consistent starter in the opening few months of the
2013–14 season as Liverpool put up an unexpected title challenge, though his season was again cut short by injury. His good form saw him make a return to the
Brazil squad. His fine form continued and he started games against Stoke City,
Leicester City and
Sunderland. Lucas' good run continued as Liverpool then played against Manchester United,
Arsenal,
Burnley,
Swansea City, Leicester City and Sunderland out of which Liverpool only lost to Manchester United and then achieved five games without defeat in a row with Lucas as an integral member of the squad. Lucas was on the substitute bench on 22 March in a 2–1 defeat against Manchester United after coming back from a six-week injury layoff. Despite rumours of him leaving Anfield, Lucas was restored to the starting line-up. Following the sacking of manager
Brendan Rodgers, Lucas under new manager
Jürgen Klopp was praised for his excellent form in the club's 11-game unbeaten run. Lucas made his 300th appearance for Liverpool on 26 January 2016 against Stoke City in the
Football League Cup semi-final at Anfield. Lucas captained Liverpool in a
Premier League match against
Crystal Palace on 8 November 2015, which ended in a 2–1 defeat. On 28 February 2016, Lucas started for Liverpool at centre-back in the
2016 League Cup final. He was one of three Liverpool players who failed to score their penalty-kick as the club lost 3–1 in the shootout to
Manchester City. On 18 January 2017, Lucas scored his first goal for the club since 16 September 2010, a first-half header in the
FA Cup third round replay against
Plymouth Argyle. The end of the season marked the completion of Lucas's tenth year as a Liverpool player. In celebration, Lucas had a dinner party thrown in his honour and received a Special Recognition Award presented to him by club legend
Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool's postseason award ceremony.
Lazio On 18 July 2017, Lucas completed a move to
Serie A side
Lazio for £5 million, ending his 10-year stay at Liverpool. during a
UEFA Europa League match against
Dynamo Kyiv in 2018
2017–18 season Lucas made his debut for Lazio in a 3–2 win over
Serie A champions Juventus in the
Supercoppa Italiana, on 13 August 2017. His first goal for the club was in a 3–2 defeat to
Zulte Waregem in the final group game of the
UEFA Europa League. On 28 February 2018, Lucas missed a penalty during the penalty shootout in Lazio's match against
Milan in the
semi-finals of the Coppa Italia; which Lazio eventually lost 4–5. On 15 March, Lucas scored the opening goal in a 2–0 away win over
Dynamo Kyiv in the
UEFA Europa League Round of 16 second-leg, securing a (4–2 win on aggregate) and advancement into the
quarter-finals of the tournament. On 18 March, Lucas scored his first league goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with
Bologna, and on 1 April, he scored in a 6–2 win over
Benevento. He finished the
season with 50 appearances in all competitions and was named the club's Player of the Year. On 17 March 2023, he announced his retirement from professional football, following a heart condition being found in December. ==International career==