Santiago Javier Lencina (born 4 September 2005) is an Argentine professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Argentine Primera División club River Plate.
Club career Early career Lencina was born on 4 September 2005 on Corzuela, Argentina. He started playing football at a local club called Club Atlético Deportivo Obreros Unidos, he arrived at River Plate's academy in 2018 after passing the academy's test led by ex-player Alejandro Montenegro . He ascended towards the reserves of River Plate, where he made 49 appearances with 9 goals scored.
River Plate Lencina made his professional debut on 4 August 2024 in a 1-1 draw against Union, under the leadership of Marcelo Escudero, the temporary manager after manager Martín Demichelis got sacked. He wouldn't get many chances on the team until the return of Marcelo Gallardo, where he got called up for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, although he didn't play a single match. In the league, he played in the first match of the Torneo Clausura, in a 3-1 win against reigning champions Platense. After this, Lencina got in the starting XI again versus Instituto, where he scored two goals, scoring for the first time a professional goal. He has a contract with the club until December 2026 and a release clause of 30 million euros.
