Luisana Araya

Defender • Age 19 • #16

Luisana Araya is an Argentine footballer who plays as a defender, primarily at right-back. She has represented Argentina at U17 and U20 level.

Photo: officialSources | CLUB ATLÉTICO BELGRANO

Fun Facts about Luisana

Discover more than stats. Get more of who she is.

Luisana is commonly known as “Luchy.” The nickname has followed her since her youth-football days and is used by both local media and accounts covering her career.

Her football story actually began with hockey. At seven, her mother enrolled her at EFUL to play hockey, but Luisana watched the boys playing football alongside them and after only a month asked if she could switch sports.

Being the only girl in the team eventually led to one of the toughest moments of her childhood football experience: after training with the team for a Canal 12 children's tournament, she was told only days before the competition that girls were not allowed to play. That experience helped shape her views on equality in football. Araya has publicly expressed hope that prejudice and unfair barriers disappear so that other girls with dreams of playing football can pursue them.

Lionel Messi is one of her football idols — but it is his humility that she specifically admires.

She describes herself as quick and strong in defensive duels, while highlighting individual technique, control and passing among her strongest qualities.