On 3 September 2012, in his first start for Racing Club, Luciano Darío Vietto scored all three goals in a 3-1 win over San Martín de San Juan. Born on 5 December 1993 in Balnearia, in the Argentine province of Córdoba, the forward, who has also played on the wing, went on to build a career in Spain, England, Portugal and Saudi Arabia before returning to Argentine football. In January 2026 he joined San Lorenzo.
Early years at Balnearia, Estudiantes and Racing
He started out at Independiente de Balnearia, his hometown club, where he played from 2000 to 2008. That year he moved into the youth ranks of Estudiantes de La Plata, who released him in 2010. Racing Club then took him into their academy, and in 2011 he made his first-team debut as a late substitute in a 1-1 home draw with Lanús. His brother Federico Vietto is also a professional footballer.
The hat-trick against San Martín de San Juan earned him a regular place. In 2012-13 he made 32 league appearances and scored 13 goals, finishing as Racing’s top scorer in the 2013 Torneo Final with eight. In 2013-14 he added five goals in 35 games, closing that first spell with 18 goals in 69 league matches.
Villarreal and Atlético Madrid
In July 2014 Villarreal paid a reported €5.5 million for him and handed him a five-year contract. He made his debut on 21 August 2014 in a Europa League play-off against Astana, and three days later played his first La Liga match in a 2-0 away win at Levante. He was named La Liga Player of the Month for December 2014 and finished 2014-15 with 12 league goals in 32 games, as well as the most assists in the Europa League.
In July 2015 Atlético Madrid signed him for around €20 million. His first goal came on 4 October 2015, the equaliser in a 1-1 derby against Real Madrid. It was his only league goal for Diego Simeone’s side, who reached the 2016 Champions League final that season and lost it to Real Madrid.
Loans to Sevilla, Valencia and Fulham
Atlético loaned him to Sevilla for 2016-17, when he scored six goals in 21 league games. In January 2018 he moved to Valencia on loan, where he scored his first hat-trick in Spain in a Copa del Rey tie against Las Palmas, and on 12 May 2018 he found the net against Girona at Montilivi.
In August 2018 he crossed to England on a season-long loan at Fulham in the Premier League. He made 20 league appearances and scored once, in a 4-2 win over Brighton. Fulham were relegated at the end of the 2018-19 season.
Sporting CP
In 2019 Atlético sold him to Sporting CP for around €7.5 million, keeping half of any future sale. His first goal for the Lisbon club came on 23 September 2019, the opener in a 2-1 defeat to Famalicão. He scored four goals in 24 league games in 2019-20, played three rounds of the 2020-21 campaign before leaving, and is listed among the Sporting squad that won the 2020-21 Primeira Liga.
Saudi Arabia
On 25 October 2020 he signed a three-year deal with Al-Hilal, who paid close to €7 million. With the Riyadh club he won the 2020-21 Saudi Pro League and the 2021 Saudi Super Cup. In January 2022 he spent six months on loan at Al-Shabab, scoring twice in seven matches, and after returning he played at the 2022 Club World Cup, where Al-Hilal finished runners-up after losing the final to Real Madrid. Vietto received the tournament’s Bronze Ball.
In August 2023 he joined Al-Qadsiah of the Saudi second tier on a free transfer. He scored 17 goals in 32 games as the club won the 2023-24 First Division League and promotion to the top flight.
Argentina under-20s
He has never played for the senior national team. He made his under-20 debut on 9 January 2013 against Chile at the South American Championship held in Argentina. Four days later he scored in a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay, and he struck again in a 2-2 draw with Bolivia. Argentina went out in the first round, with Vietto on two goals from four matches.
Return to Racing and San Lorenzo
Racing Club brought him back in September 2024. He played his first game of the new spell on 19 October 2024 against Defensa y Justicia, and on 23 November 2024 he was part of the side that won the Copa Sudamericana, beating Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final in Asunción. On 20 February 2025 he scored a penalty in the first leg of the Recopa Sudamericana against Botafogo, a trophy Racing went on to win in 2025. In January 2026 he signed for San Lorenzo as a free agent.
San LorenzoForwardMarket value €624.0K