Joaquín Lavega Colzada

Coritiba took Lavega on loan from Fluminense for the 2026 season, with an option to make the move permanent for around US$ 3 million — a deal the club was still weighing in mid-2026. After a solid run in River Plate's Montevideo academy, where he made his professional debut in May 2021, Lavega moved to Fluminense in December 2024 in a transfer that drew criticism from River Plate's own vice-president, who argued the player's contract was nearly up and he could have left for nothing. Whatever the merits of that complaint, the switch did not pay off quickly: Lavega found himself short of minutes at Fluminense through early 2025, which set up the loan to Coritiba.

He captained Uruguay's under-20 team at the 2025 South American Championship in Venezuela, scoring several goals along the way, including a brace against Argentina, and had already played at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup. Earlier still, he collected 13 caps and two goals for Uruguay's under-15s. Marcelo Bielsa has called him into senior national team training, though a first cap has not yet followed.

Recognition arrived early: The Guardian included him in its "Next Generation" list of the world's best young talents in September 2022, and he was later nominated for the Uruguayan Championship's Best Young Talent award.