ATLANTA — Atlanta United Thursday announced it has signed Peruvian defender Luis Abram from Granada CF through the 2026 season.
Abram will occupy an international roster spot pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
“Luis is a talented center back who brings a lot of experience at both the club and international level at just 26 years old,” Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “We expect him to make an immediate impact on our backline and we’re excited to welcome him to the club.”
The 26-year-old center back has made 257 career club appearances across stints in Peru, Argentina, Spain and Mexico, registering a total of 11 goals and seven assists.
After starting his youth career at Regatas Lima, Abram joined Sporting Cristal in 2013 and was promoted to the first team the following year. He made his debut in Peru’s first division on Aug. 14, 2014 and made 22 appearances that season as Sporting Cristal won the league. Abram made 17 appearances in 2015, including his Copa Libertadores debut. The following season, he played in 35 matches as Sporting Cristal again won the league title. The Lima native appeared in 44 matches in his final season with Sporting Cristal in 2017, totaling 118 appearances, including seven in Copa Libertadores, with five goals and five assists over four seasons with the club.
Abram joined Vélez Sarsfield in January of 2018 and went on to make 91 appearances in all competitions, recording four goals and two assists over four seasons at the Argentine club where he was a teammate of Thiago Almada. He made 25 appearances during the 2018-19 season as Vélez Sarsfield finished sixth in the league to qualify for continental competition. He made 29 appearances during the 2019-20 season, including nine in the Copa Sudamericana as Vélez Sarsfield advanced to the semifinals, while the club finished third in league play to qualify for the Copa Libertadores the following season.
Abram joined Spanish side Granada CF in August of 2021 and made eight appearances in La Liga and two in the Copa del Rey before being loaned to Cruz Azul in January of 2022. Abram made 38 total appearances during a one-year loan stint in Mexico, including six appearances in the Concacaf Champions League where Cruz Azul advanced to the semifinals. The club qualified for the playoffs in both the 2022 Clausura and Apertura seasons and won Mexico’s Super Cup, defeating Atlas in penalties.
Abram has represented Peru 33 times at the international level, including 11 matches in World Cup qualification, making his senior national team debut in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on May 24, 2016. The defender scored his first international goal in a friendly against Brazil on Sept. 11, 2019 in a 1-0 win for Peru.
