1. Early life and background
Diego Nicolás de la Cruz Arcosa was born on June 1, 1997, in Montevideo, Uruguay. His family has a strong connection to football. He is the half-brother of former Uruguayan international footballer Carlos Sánchez. His nephew, Facundo Trinidad, is also a professional footballer.
1.1. Childhood and early career
De la Cruz, along with his half-brother Carlos Sánchez and nephew Facundo Trinidad, are all graduates of the Liverpool Montevideo youth academy. De la Cruz joined the Liverpool Montevideo youth system in 2009. He progressed through the ranks, eventually being promoted to the club's senior team in 2015. He made his professional debut during the 2015-16 season, where he quickly made an impact by scoring his first goal in the Uruguayan Primera División. In the 2016 season, he continued his development, scoring four goals for the club.
2. Club career
De la Cruz's club career has seen him play for three prominent clubs: Liverpool Montevideo in Uruguay, River Plate in Argentina, and Flamengo in Brazil, accumulating numerous titles across these teams.
2.1. Liverpool
De la Cruz began his professional career with Liverpool Montevideo, where he had been a youth player since 2009. He joined the senior team in 2015 and made his professional debut in the 2015-16 season. During his time at Liverpool, he quickly established himself, scoring his first goal in the Uruguayan Primera División in his debut season. In 2016, he scored four goals. His participation also included an appearance in the Copa Sudamericana in 2017. He played for Liverpool until August 2017, contributing to their Segunda División title in the 2014-15 season.
2.2. River Plate
On August 15, 2017, Nicolás de la Cruz made a significant move to Argentinian club River Plate, signing a four-year contract. During his tenure at River Plate, he became a key player, contributing to the club's numerous successes. His performances attracted interest from several prominent European clubs, including Real Sociedad and Sporting CP in Spain and Portugal, as well as Manchester United in England, Fiorentina in Italy, and Borussia Dortmund in Germany, in 2021. Despite the interest, he opted to extend his contract with River Plate, first until the end of 2022, and then again on November 11, 2022, extending it until the end of 2025. This period was marked by significant achievements, including two Copa Argentina titles (2017, 2019), two Supercopa Argentina titles (2017, 2019), the prestigious 2018 Copa Libertadores, and the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana. He also played a crucial role in River Plate winning the Argentine Primera División twice (2021, 2023) and the Trofeo de Campeones twice (2021, 2023).
2.3. Flamengo
On December 24, 2023, it was officially announced that de la Cruz would join Brazilian club Flamengo at the start of the 2024 season, signing a four-year contract. Since joining Flamengo, he has continued his successful career, contributing to the club's victories in the 2024 Copa do Brasil, the 2025 Supercopa do Brasil, and the 2024 Campeonato Carioca.
3. International career
Nicolás de la Cruz has a distinguished international career, representing Uruguay at both youth and senior levels, contributing significantly to their success in various tournaments.
3.1. Youth national teams
De la Cruz began his international journey with the Uruguay U-17 team, making four appearances and scoring one goal in 2012. He then moved up to the Uruguay U-18 team in 2015, playing six matches. His most notable youth international period was with the Uruguay U-20 team, for which he made 26 appearances and scored five goals between 2015 and 2017. He captained the U-20 team that won the 2017 South American U-20 Championship, securing qualification for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the U-20 World Cup, he led his team to the semi-finals. He scored a crucial opening goal against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16, guiding his team to victory. In the semi-final against Venezuela, he again scored the opening goal, but the match ended in a draw after a late equalizer from Samuel Sosa. The game proceeded to a penalty shootout, where de la Cruz, taking the fifth penalty, unfortunately missed, leading to Uruguay's elimination from the tournament.
3.2. Senior national team
De la Cruz received his first call-up to the senior Uruguay national team in October 2020. He made his senior debut on October 8, 2020, in Uruguay's 2-1 victory against Chile in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match. He started the match and played for 55 minutes before being substituted. He has since participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and continued to be a key player in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, scoring two goals against Chile on September 8, 2023, and one against Brazil on October 17, 2023. In 2024, he was selected for the Copa América 2024 squad, where Uruguay secured a third-place finish. As of October 15, 2024, he has earned 32 caps for the senior national team, scoring five goals.
4. Personal life
Diego Nicolás de la Cruz Arcosa is the half-brother of former Uruguayan international footballer Carlos Sánchez. Their nephew, Facundo Trinidad, is also a professional footballer. All three players are notable for having come through the youth academy of Liverpool Montevideo. In 2022, De la Cruz acquired Argentine citizenship, which helped River Plate by freeing up a foreign player slot in their squad. He is 66 in (167 cm) (5 ft 6 in) tall, weighs 154 lb (70 kg) (154 lb), and is right-footed.
5. Career statistics
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2015-16 | Uruguayan Primera División | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 2016 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 2017 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | ||
| Total | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 8 | ||
| River Plate | 2017-18 | Argentine Primera División | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 30 | 4 | ||
| 2019-20 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2021 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | ||
| 2022 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 6 | ||
| 2023 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 7 | ||
| Total | 137 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 49 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 214 | 36 | ||
| Flamengo | 2024 | Série A | 15 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 41 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 187 | 33 | 25 | 0 | 59 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 292 | 46 | ||
5.2. International statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | 2020 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 11, 2022 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | Panama | 3-0 | 5-0 | Friendly |
| 2 | September 27, 2022 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | Canada | 1-0 | 2-0 | Friendly |
| 3 | September 8, 2023 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | Chile | 1-0 | 3-1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 3-1 | |||||
| 5 | October 17, 2023 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | Brazil | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
6. Honours
6.1. Club honours
Liverpool Montevideo
- Segunda División: 2014-15
River Plate
- Copa Argentina: 2017, 2019
- Supercopa Argentina: 2017, 2019
- Copa Libertadores: 2018
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2019
- Argentine Primera División: 2021, 2023
- Trofeo de Campeones: 2021, 2023
Flamengo
- Copa do Brasil: 2024
- Supercopa do Brasil: 2025
- Campeonato Carioca: 2024
6.2. International honours
Uruguay U20
- South American U-20 Championship: 2017
Uruguay
- Copa América third place: 2024
6.3. Individual honours
- Superliga Annual Best Foreign Player: 2020
- South American Team of the Year: 2023
- Campeonato Carioca Team of the Season: 2024