Igor Lichnovsky Osorio (born 7 March 1994) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Universidad de Chile.
Club career Universidad de Chile Born in Peñaflor near Santiago to an Austrian father of German and Slovak descent, Lichnovsky joined Club Universidad de Chile at the age of 8. On 20 November 2011 he first appeared in the Primera División, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Club Deportivo Universidad Católica for the Clausura in which he was also voted as Player of the match.
Lichnovsky scored his first goal as a professional on 29 April 2012, contributing to a 5–0 derby home win over Colo-Colo.
Porto Lichnovsky's good performances for both Universidad and the Chilean national youth teams attracted interest from English club Chelsea. However, nothing came of it, and in late June 2014 he signed a four-year contract with FC Porto from Portugal, being initially assigned to the B team.
Lichnovsky played his first competitive match on 17 October 2015, in a 2–0 win at Varzim S.C. in the third round of the Taça de Portugal. On 22 January of the following year he was loaned to Sporting de Gijón until June, making his La Liga debut on 17 February by featuring the entire 1–3 home loss against FC Barcelona.
On 2 August 2016, Lichnovsky returned to Spain, joining Segunda División team Real Valladolid on another loan. He scored his only goal in the country on 3 September when he opened a 2–1 home victory over Girona FC in the third minute.
Mexico On 21 June 2017, Lichnovsky moved to the third continent of his career by joining Club Necaxa. He made his Liga MX debut on 24 July in a 2–0 win at C.D. Veracruz, and was ever-present over the season for the team from Aguascalientes City.
Lichnovsky transferred to Cruz Azul of the same league in May 2018. He scored his first goal in Mexican football the following 31 March, to secure a 2–2 draw away to C.F. Monterrey.
Later career On 10 October 2020, Lichnovsky signed with Al Shabab Club of the Saudi Pro League. In January 2022, he returned to Mexico with Tigres UANL, being loaned to fellow top-tier side Club América in September 2023 and bought outright by the latter in July 2024.
On 6 February 2026, Lichnovsky joined Turkish Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük S.K. on a one-and-a-half-year deal. He returned to Universidad in August, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
International career Lichnovsky was capped by Chile at under-17 and under-20 levels. He participated with the latter in the 2013 South American Youth Championship, helping his team qualify to the 2013 FIFA World Cup in Turkey whilst acting as captain in both tournaments.
Lichnovsky made his debut with the full side on 14 November 2014, playing the entire 5–0 friendly win with Venezuela at the Estadio CAP in Talcahuano. He did not make his second appearance until 27 March 2018, in a goalless exhibition away to Denmark.
Manager Reinaldo Rueda called Lichnovsky up for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. He played one match as a substitute for his competitive debut for the fourth-place finishers, as a 55th-minute replacement for Gary Medel in a 1–0 group loss against Uruguay in the Maracanã Stadium.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsUniversidad de Chile2011Liga de Primera40———402012Liga de Primera1324030—2022013Liga de Primera5000——502013–14Liga de Primera192003020242Total414406020534Porto B2014–15Liga Portugal 2373———3732015–16Liga Portugal 240———40Total413———413Porto2015–16Primeira Liga0020001030Sporting Gijón (loan)2015–16La Liga20———20Valladolid (loan)2016–17Segunda División18110——191Nexaca2017–18Liga MX34030——370Cruz Azul2018–19Liga MX341100——4412019–20Liga MX17100—402112020–21Liga MX11000—00110Total622100—40762Al Shabab2020–21Saudi Pro League26300——2632021–22Saudi Pro League15010——160Total41310——423Tigres UANL2021–22Liga MX111———1112022–23Liga MX3500060—410Total4610060—521América (loan)2023–24Liga MX342—70—412América2024–25Liga MX10——30402025–26Liga MX81——30111Total433—7060563Fatih Karagümrük2025–26Süper Lig130———130Universidad de Chile2026Liga de Primera2110——31Career total3431822019013039718
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsChile201410201500201600201700201840201920202000202100202200202300202460202510202620Total160
Honours Universidad de Chile Chilean Primera División: Clausura 2011, Apertura 2012 Copa Chile: 2012–13 Copa Sudamericana: 2011
Necaxa Copa MX: Clausura 2018
Cruz Azul Copa MX: Apertura 2018 Supercopa MX: 2019 Leagues Cup: 2019
UANL Liga MX: Clausura 2023
América Liga MX: Apertura 2023, Clausura 2024, Apertura 2024 Campeón de Campeones: 2024
References
External links