Lucas Quintana

Cerro Porteño did not have to look outside its own academy to find its next centre-back: Lucas Quintana came through the club's youth ranks and made his professional debut against Sportivo Ameliano in January 2023. He was still a teenager, and in December of that year, he suffered a serious knee injury during a youth match — an ACL tear, a meniscus tear and bone edema. Quintana underwent surgery and had to rebuild from there, returning to the first team in 2024 and gradually working his way back into a starting role.

Quintana became a key starter for Cerro Porteño and was part of the squad that won the Torneo Clausura 2025, the club's 35th league title, making several appearances during the campaign. In May 2025 he committed his future to the club, renewing his contract until the end of 2028, a sign of how highly Cerro Porteño rates him — by 2025 he was considered one of the most valuable young players in Paraguay.

Internationally, Quintana has been a fixture of Paraguay's Under-20 side, wearing the number 5 shirt and serving as captain. He started for the U-20s at the 2025 South American Championship in Venezuela, playing against Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. He appeared for the U-20s at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, appearing in the group stage against Panama, Ukraine and South Korea before featuring in the Round of 16 defeat to Norway.