Find out all the personal life details of Lucas Leiva, the former Brazilian footballer

Find out all the personal life details of Lucas Leiva, the former Brazilian footballer

Helix Odhiambo
May 25, 2024 at 3:43 PM
In this article:
Liverpool logo
Liverpool
England
45
Gremio (RS) logo
Gremio
Brazil
23
Lazio logo
Lazio
Italy
41
Brazil logo
Brazil
Brazil
26
Lucas Leiva logo
L. Leiva
Gremio (RS) logoMBrazil logo

Lucas Leiva is a legendary Brazilian footballer who started his career as a box-to-box midfielder at Gremio. He also played for Liverpool, Lazio and Brazil's national team. Leiva enjoyed a remarkable career in Europe, establishing himself among the best.

Lucas Leiva's biography
Lucas Leiva of Lazio (L) on 12 September 2021. Leiva (C) with Liverpool on 6 December 2015 and Brazil (R) on 13 July 2011. Photo: Max Montecinos, Stu Forster, Sportinfoto (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Table of Сontents:

The Brazilian retired from professional football in March 2023 due to a heart problem. Lucas has acquired millions and lives in a luxurious home with his wife and kids. We highlight his background and story here.

Profile summary

Full name

Lucas Pezzini Leiva

Date of birth

9 January 1987

Age

37 (as of May 2024)

Birthplace

Dourados, Brazil

Nationality

Brazilian, Italian

Height

1.79 m

Weight

74 kg

Profession

Former football player

Position

Defensive Midfielder

Teams played for

Grêmio, Lazio, Liverpool, Brazil national team

Wife

Ariana Lima

Children

Pedro and Valentina

Net worth

$16 million

Social media

Instagram, X (Twitter)

Lucas Leiva's biography

Liverpool legend Lucas Leiva (age 37 as of May 2024) was born on 9 January 1987 in Dourados, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. His love for football developed during childhood, inspired by his father and uncle.

Five facts about Lucas Leiva
Lucas Leiva of Liverpool with his award for ten years of service before their Premier League match against Middlesbrough at Anfield on 21 May 2017, in Liverpool, England. Photo: John Powell
Source: Original

In his interview published on Liverpool FC's website, Lucas explained how growing up in an ideal environment and working on his grandfather's farm in Brazil helped shape his career.

As a kid it was something I really enjoyed and a chance to see a way of living outside of the city. My brother took it over some years later and is still there looking after it so I can still go back at the end of every season. We have everything there, all the cattle, cows and bulls. It is different from the pressure of English football.

Leiva's father and uncle loved football, and he would always accompany them to watch Romario, Bebeto, and Ronaldo play for the Brazilian national team.

Lucas Leiva's family

Lucas Leiva's family
Lucas Leiva (L) poses for a photo with his wife, kids, and dog. On the right is his wife, Ariana Lima, posing alone. Photo: @leivalucas (Modified by author)
Source: Instagram

Who is Lucas Leiva's wife? The former Liverpool star is married to Ariana Lima. They have two children, Pedro and Valentina. The family lives in Porto Alegre. Pedro is reportedly playing for Gremio's youth academy.

Football career

Lucas nurtured his talent at Gremio's academy. He got promoted to the senior team in 2005. Here is a breakdown of his career journey.

Gremio

According to LFC History, Leiva became the youngest-ever player to receive Placar magazine's Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball) in his debut season. Leiva also played in the two-legged final of the Copa Libertadores, where Gremio lost 5-0 to Boca Juniors.

Lucas Leiva and Jurgen Klopp
Lucas Leiva (L) with the ball during his time at Gremio. On the left is him and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on 16 February 2017. Photo: Andrew Powell, @LucasLeiva87 (Modified by author)
Source: UGC

Liverpool

The midfielder moved to Liverpool in July 2007 for around $6.4 million. His Transfermarkt stats reveal he played 347 games for the Reds, including under Jurgen Klopp.

Leiva has the second-most tackles in Premier League history (978), as per 90 Mins, behind Gareth Barry (1,028). He is the 4th Brazilian with the most EPL appearances (247), behind William, Fernandinho, and Roberto Firmino.

Lazio

Leiva joined Lazio in July 2017. He made his Serie A debut on 13 August 2018 in a 3-2 win over Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana. Lucas helped Lazio to the Coppa Italia, winning the Fans' Player of the Year in the 2018-19 season.

Lucas Leiva's trophies
Lucas Leiva (L) and Luiz Felipe Ramos (R) of SS Lazio celebrate with the Italian Supercup trophy at King Saud University Stadium on 22 December 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Paolo Bruno
Source: Getty Images

Return to Gremio

The former midfielder returned to his boyhood club in June 2022, penning a contract until December 2023. He officially retired on 17 March 2023.

National team

The Liverpool legend captained Brazil's Under-20 side to the 2007 South American Championship. He played alongside Willian and Alexandre Pato and scored four goals in the tournament, including in the final against Colombia.

Lucas debuted for the senior team on 22 August 2007 in a friendly game against Algeria. He earned 24 caps for Brazil, including playing at the 2008 Olympics and 2011 Copa América.

Lucas Leiva's stats
Ukraine's Ruslan Rotan (L) tackles Brazil's Leiva Lucas (R) during their international friendly match on 11 October 2010. Photo: John Walton 
Source: Getty Images

Lucas Leiva's stats

Leiva won the hearts of many Premier League fans with his box-to-box display. He played over 600 career games and spent 15 seasons in Europe. Here are his senior stats as per Transfermarkt.

Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Liverpool

346

7

21

Lazio

198

4

12

Grêmio

60

8

-

Brazil national team

24

-

-

Total

628

19

33

Lucas Leiva's trophies

The former defensive midfielder missed the UEFA Europa League title after finishing as runner-up with Liverpool in the 2015-16 season but lifted other titles. Explore the list of his trophies below.

  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (2005)
  • Campeonato Gaúcho (2006, 2007, 2023)
  • Football League Cup (2011-12)
  • Coppa Italia (2018-19)
  • Supercoppa Italiana (2017, 2019)
  • Olympic football Bronze medal (Beijing 2008)

Was Lucas Leiva unlucky?

Lucas Leiva's squad number
Lucas Leiva of SS Lazio applauds fans after playing his last game for the club in a Serie A match against Hellas Verona FC at Stadio Olimpico on 21 May 2022 in Rome, Italy. Photo: Silvia Lore
Source: Getty Images

Lucas remained committed to football and helping his teams despite encountering challenges. He told the Athletic, as published by the New York Times, that he played with a heart condition, which doctors detected in June 2022 during his second spell at Grêmio.

"The doctor told me I had a scar on my heart. It was a big surprise. I had never had any kind of issues like that before. I had to stop playing for three months to see if the scar would get smaller, but it didn't, and so that's when I knew I had to retire.

Lucas Leiva's net worth and salary

According to ABTC, the former Liverpool midfielder's estimated net worth is $16 million. Salary Report estimates he earned around $1.26 million in 2022 at Grêmio and $4.64 million in 2021 at Lazio. In his last season at Liverpool, Lucas Leiva's salary was around $4.97 million in 2016.

Lucas Leiva's FIFA history

The Brazilian had 23 items in Ultimate Team, as per Futwiz. His first rating was 76 in FIFA 10, and his highest was 90 in FIFA 21. Here are his items and ratings.

FIFA

Rating (s)

22

81

21

90, 84, 84

20

88, 86, 84

19

85, 83

18

80, 79

17

80, 80

16

79

15

79

14 (World Cup Item)

80

14

81

13

80

12

82, 78

11

82, 78

10

76

Trivia

Leiva's journey from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil to Europe has inspired many young talents globally. Here are some facts about him.

How long did Lucas Leiva play for Liverpool?
Former Liverpool player Lucas Leiva poses for a photo at halftime of the EPL match between Liverpool and Brentford at Anfield on 12 November 2023 in Liverpool, England. Photo: John Powell
Source: Getty Images

How long did Lucas Leiva play for Liverpool?

The Brazilian played for Liverpool from 2007 to 2017, spending ten seasons there. He played 346 games, scoring seven goals and providing 21 assists.

What were Lucas Leiva's squad numbers?

The father of two wore four different jersey numbers during his career. He used jersey Np. 8 and No.15 at Gremio and No.21 at Liverpool. Lucas also wore No.6 at Lazio, as per Transfermarkt.

What is Lucas Leiva doing now?

Lucas is reportedly contemplating coaching or management after retiring. He achieved his UEFA B Licence during his time at Liverpool. He told the New York Times,

It's something I'm thinking about but I'm taking my time before making any decisions. It's a difficult role being a manager. You have to ask yourself whether you want all that stress.

Final word

Many people remember Lucas Leiva for his incredible defensive skills and leadership. He left a legacy at Liverpool as one of the most successful Brazilians in the club's history.

READ ALSO: The player profile of Marcelo Grohe, the Brazilian goalkeeper

Sports Brief featured Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe, who plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League. Grohe started his career at Gremio before moving to Al-Ittihad. He has two caps with Brazil's national team. Follow the above link for more about the goalkeeper.

Authors
Helix Odhiambo photo
Helix Odhiambo
Helix Odhiambo is an award-winning Kenyan journalist and content creator with over 6 years of experience. In 2016, he won the Goal Blaze Correspondent Award for young writers.