1. Club career
Lorenzo Lucca's club career began in his youth, progressing through various academies before making his mark in senior football, and subsequently moving through several Italian clubs and a notable international loan spell.
1.1. Youth and early senior career
Born in Moncalieri, Lucca started his youth football career as a child at CBS Scuola Calcio, a local team in Turin. At the age of eight, he joined the youth academy of Torino FC. He later moved to Chieri, a club also located in the province of Turin. After being discarded by Chieri, he joined Atletico Torino. With Atletico Torino, he made his senior debut at just 16 years old in the Italian sixth-tier league, Promozione, where he immediately demonstrated his scoring prowess by netting two goals.
The following season, Lucca signed with Vicenza, making his professional debut in 2018 at the age of 17. This debut occurred during a Serie C league match against Sambenedettese. In 2018, Lucca was recalled by Torino and subsequently loaned to Brescia. During his time with the Brescia primavera youth side, he was highly prolific, scoring 16 goals in 18 appearances. His impressive performance led to another recall by Torino in 2019, where he played for the Toro primavera side during the first half of the 2019-20 season.
1.2. Palermo
On January 31, 2020, Lucca left Torino and joined Palermo in Serie D on a free transfer. He made only three appearances for the Rosanero during the 2019-20 Serie D season, which concluded with the club's promotion to Serie C. This was partly due to the league's interruption following the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.
In July 2020, Lucca solidified his commitment to Palermo by signing his first professional contract, a four-year deal with the club. For the 2020-21 Serie C season, Lucca initially served as an understudy to Andrea Saraniti. However, he quickly broke into the first team and emerged as the team's top scorer by February, surpassing the ten-goal mark after scoring a brace against Turris. During this season, he made 27 appearances and scored 13 goals for Palermo.
1.3. Pisa
On July 21, 2021, Lucca transferred to Serie B club Pisa, signing a five-year contract with the Neroazzurri. He made his debut for Pisa against SPAL. His first two goals for the club came in a 2-0 victory against Alessandria. Lucca began his season strong, bagging six goals in his first seven matches. However, his goal-scoring pace slowed down thereafter, and he concluded his 2021-22 Serie B season with a total of six goals from 34 appearances.
1.3.1. Loan to Ajax
On August 5, 2022, Eredivisie champions Ajax announced that they had reached an agreement with Pisa for the loan transfer of Lucca, which included an option to buy. This move was historic, as Lucca became the first Italian player to join Ajax. He scored his first goal for the Dutch club on November 6, 2022, in an Eredivisie match against PSV Eindhoven, which Ajax lost 2-1. During his loan spell, he played 14 matches for the senior Ajax team, scoring 2 goals, and also made 13 appearances for Jong Ajax, scoring 6 goals. After the loan spell with the Dutch club concluded, he returned to Pisa on June 30, 2023.
1.4. Udinese
On July 7, 2023, Lucca joined fellow Italian club Udinese Calcio on a one-year loan deal. Following a successful season as a regular starter for Udinese, the club announced on June 13, 2024, that they had signed him on a permanent basis.
On February 21, 2025, Lucca scored his tenth Serie A goal of the 2024-25 season in a 1-0 away victory over Lecce. However, the goal was not without controversy. Lucca took the penalty kick from the team's captain, Florian Thauvin, seemingly without the consent of his teammates. Shortly after this incident, he was substituted in the first half by coach Kosta Runjaić.
2. International career
Lorenzo Lucca has represented Italy at various age-group levels. On September 7, 2021, he made his debut with the Italy U21 squad. He came on as a substitute in a qualifying match against Montenegro, which Italy won 1-0. Overall, he has made 6 appearances for the Italy U21 team, scoring 2 goals.
In March 2024, Lucca received his first call-up to the senior Italy squad for a friendly match against Ecuador. However, he was forced to withdraw from the squad due to an injury, postponing his senior international debut.
3. Playing style
Lorenzo Lucca primarily plays as a striker or centre forward. He possesses a formidable physical presence, standing at 79 in (201 cm) tall and weighing 176 lb (80 kg). His height and build make him a dominant force in aerial duels and a strong target man, capable of holding up play and bringing teammates into attacking positions. He is also noted for his goal-scoring ability, particularly within the penalty area, as demonstrated by his consistent scoring record across various clubs.
4. Career statistics
4.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Atletico Torino (loan) | 2016-17 | Promozione | 10 | 2 | - | - | - | 10 | 2 | |||
| Vicenza | 2017-18 | Serie C | 3 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Palermo | 2019-20 | Serie D | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2020-21 | Serie C | 27 | 13 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 27 | 13 | |||
| Total | 30 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 14 | ||
| Pisa | 2021-22 | Serie B | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 (Appearances in Serie B play-offs) | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
| Ajax (loan) | 2022-23 | Eredivisie | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 (Appearance in UEFA Europa League) | 0 | - | 16 | 2 | |
| Jong Ajax (loan) | 2022-23 | Eerste Divisie | 13 | 6 | - | - | - | 13 | 6 | |||
| Udinese (loan) | 2023-24 | Serie A | 37 | 8 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 39 | 9 | ||
| Udinese | 2024-25 | Serie A | 25 | 10 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 28 | 12 | ||
| Total | 62 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 21 | ||
| Career total | 147 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 159 | 44 | ||
4.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy U21 | 2021 | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 2 | |
| Italy | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 7 | 2 | |