His career was intimately connected with Cagliari in Italy, for which he appeared in over 300 competitive games in 12 years, playing as a defender.[1] Internationally, he represented Uruguay in two Copa América tournaments.
On 14 April 2009, following a tunnel brawl with ACF Fiorentina's Felipe Melo in a 2–1 away loss, both López and the Brazilian received a five-match ban.[7] In July, one month shy of his 35th birthday, he signed a one-year contract with Cagliari.[8] In the 2009–10 campaign the veteran contributed 18 games as his team again managed to avoid relegation, after finishing in 16th position.
On 9 September 2010, after not being called up to Cagliari's 2010–11 pre-season camp,[9] López announced his retirement from professional football, having appeared in 344 official matches for his main club.[6][10]
López was overlooked, however, for the squads which appeared at the 2002 and 2010FIFA World Cups, and earned a total of 32 caps.
Coaching career
In July 2012, López was named at the helm of the Primavera under-19 side of Cagliari and, on 2 October, was unveiled as new assistant coach for the main squad after the Ivo Pulga-led club parted ways with Massimo Ficcadenti.[13] López and Pulga swapped roles in July 2013 after the former was admitted to the yearly UEFA Pro Licence course, thus being allowed to serve as head coach in the Italian top flight; he was dismissed on 6 April 2014 by owner Massimo Cellino, this being the 36th manager change he went through in 22 years of tenure.[14]
On 1 July 2014, López was appointed at Bologna F.C. 1909 in the Italian second tier.[15] After a good start to the season, he was relieved of his duties on 4 May 2015 following a negative streak.[16]
On 18 October 2017, López returned to Cagliari as head coach after the dismissal of Massimo Rastelli.[19] At the end of the season, having avoided the drop, he left by mutual consent.[20]
López returned to his homeland in early June 2018, joining Peñarol.[21] Starting from five points behind arch-rivals Club Nacional de Football, he led the club to a league title by beating that adversary 1–0 in the final;[22] after losing by the same margin to Nacional in the next edition, he announced his exit in December 2019.[23]
On 5 February 2020, López returned to the Italian top division, signing with second-from-bottom Brescia Calcio following Eugenio Corini's sacking.[24] His contract with the club – also owned by Cellino – was terminated by mutual consent on 12 August following relegation, and Luigi Delneri succeeded him.[25] On 6 October, however, he returned to the Stadio Mario Rigamonti.[26] He was shown the door again on 7 December, after a run of three defeats.[27]
Personal life
He has three sons called Thiago, Ian and Inty. They were born in Italy and have been with the
Cagliari youth team.[28] The oldest son, Thiago,[29] also played for Peñarol.[30]
^"Presenze assolute – top 20" [All-time appearances – top 20] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 9 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
