In January 2018, River Plate bought Lucas David Pratto from São Paulo, and that transfer opened the best-remembered stage of his career. Born in La Plata on 4 June 1988, Pratto is an Argentine centre-forward, nicknamed «Oso» (the Bear), who has played club football in Argentina, Norway, Chile, Italy, Brazil, the Netherlands and Paraguay. With River he won the 2018 Copa Libertadores, scoring in both legs of the final against Boca Juniors.
Youth career in La Plata and at Boca Juniors
He came through the youth ranks at Defensores de Cambaceres, in Ensenada, before moving to Boca Juniors, where he won the fifth-division title alongside Oscar Trejo. Boca had no room for him in the first team and loaned him to Tigre, where he made his top-flight debut on 16 September 2007 against San Lorenzo. His first goal in the Argentine Primera División came on 23 May 2008 against San Martín de San Juan, and he finished that season with 13 appearances and one goal.
Loans: Norway, Unión and Universidad Católica
In July 2008 he joined Norwegian side Lyn Oslo on a one-year loan, scoring 7 goals in 25 matches. Back in Argentina he played twice for Boca in 2009, and in 2010 he spent time in the second-tier Primera B Nacional with Unión de Santa Fe, scoring 6 goals in 19 games. In mid-2010 he moved to Chile to join Universidad Católica, in a deal linked to Gary Medel's move to Boca. In Santiago he made 46 appearances and scored 16 goals, won the 2010 Chilean Primera División title and was named the best foreign player in Chile in 2011.
Genoa and a first spell at Vélez Sarsfield
In June 2011 he signed for Italian club Genoa, but only played the first half of the season there, with 17 matches and 3 goals. Early in 2012 he returned to Argentina on loan to Vélez Sarsfield, who bought him outright at the start of 2013. In Liniers he won the 2012 Torneo Inicial and the 2012-13 championship, as well as the Supercopa Argentina. In 2014 he was top scorer of the Torneo de Transición with 11 goals and received the Olimpia de Plata as Argentine footballer of the year.
Atlético Mineiro, São Paulo and the Argentina national team
In December 2014 he signed a four-year deal with Atlético Mineiro. In Belo Horizonte he played 104 matches and scored 41 goals, won the 2015 Campeonato Mineiro and, that same year, took the Bola de Prata and the award for best foreign player in the Brasileirão. His form in Brazil earned him a place in the Argentina national team: called up in August 2016 for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, he made his first start against Uruguay on 1 September 2016. Later that month he scored against Venezuela in Mérida, and on 15 November 2016 he found the net in a 3-0 win over Colombia in San Juan. He won 5 caps and scored 2 goals, the last appearance coming in 2017. In February 2017 he joined São Paulo, where he scored 14 goals in 48 matches.
River Plate and the Madrid final
He arrived at River on 8 January 2018 and in March that year lifted the 2017 Supercopa Argentina. The 2018 Copa Libertadores ended in a two-legged final against Boca. In the first leg, at La Bombonera, Pratto scored in a 2-2 draw. The second leg was moved to the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and played on 9 December 2018: Darío Benedetto put Boca ahead and Pratto equalised in the second half from an Ignacio Fernández cross. River won 3-1 after extra time to claim the 2018 Copa Libertadores. The 2018-19 Copa Argentina and the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana followed. He left River with 26 goals in 109 matches.
Feyenoord and a return to Vélez
On 1 January 2021 he joined Dutch club Feyenoord on a six-month loan. He played 8 matches without scoring, and in May 2021 an ankle fracture brought his spell in Rotterdam to an end. On 27 August 2021 Vélez announced his return. In his second stint in Liniers he played 75 matches and scored 9 goals before his contract was terminated in June 2023.
Defensa y Justicia, Olimpia, Sarmiento and Coquimbo
On 26 July 2023 he signed a one-year deal with Defensa y Justicia, scoring 3 goals in 23 matches. On 13 January 2024 Olimpia unveiled him as a new signing, and with the Paraguayan club he won the 2024 Torneo Clausura, leaving Asunción after 58 matches and 8 goals. In July 2025 he went back to Argentina to play for Sarmiento de Junín. On 6 January 2026 Coquimbo Unido confirmed his signing, bringing him back to Chilean football fifteen years after his first spell. He scored his first goal for the club in the Supercopa de Chile semi-final against Deportes Limache, and on 25 January 2026 he won the Supercopa de Chile when Coquimbo beat his former club Universidad Católica on penalties.
Coquimbo Unido