Claudio Javier López (born July 17, 1974 in Córdoba, Argentina) is an Argentine football striker, who currently plays for Club América in the Primera División de México.
El Piojo (The Louse) began his professional career with Estudiantes de La Plata in his native Argentina in 1990 as a 16-year old. However, he moved to Racing Club de Avellaneda the next year, where he would remain until he transferred in 1995 to Spanish club Valencia CF.
He remained with Valencia for five years, helping the team to be runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in the 1999-2000 season, when he was transferred to S.S. Lazio of Serie A for a sum of 35 million Euros. Unfortunately, López suffered from injury problems while at Lazio, and was unable to fulfill the hopes that accompanied him.
López joined Club América for the 2004 Apertura, where he played in 17 games, scoring four goals. The following season, Clausura 2005 brought better results, with López scoring a total of 14 goals overall and helping the team to its tenth League championship in its history. Claudio was instrumental to the team's success, scoring two goals in the Final over UAG Tecos.
He had a distinguished career with the Argentine national team. After winning a silver medal with the Under-23 team during the 1996 Summer Olympics, López made appearances in both the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
