Leonardo da Silva Souza

Leonardo da Silva Souza (born 18 March 1992), known simply as Leonardo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for the Emirati club Shabab Al-Ahli . He operates as an attacking midfielder who can play on both flanks.

Leonardo
Leonardo with Anzhi Makhachkala in 2015
Personal information
Full name Leonardo da Silva Souza
Date of birth (1992-03-18) 18 March 1992
Place of birth Andirá, Brazil
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current team
 Shabab Al-Ahli
Number 42
Youth career
Matsubara
2011–2012 Beerschot
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Enosis Neon Paralimni 11 (5)
2013 Metalurh Donetsk 9 (1)
2013–2014 Gabala 31 (7)
2014–2016 Anzhi Makhachkala 31 (8)
2016–2017 Partizan 34 (24)
2017–2018 Al-Ahli 19 (10)
2018–2019 Al Wahda 21 (13)
2019– Shabab Al-Ahli 11 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 June 2019

Leonardo arrived to Europe at an early age, making his senior debuts with Cypriot club Enosis Neon Paralimni in 2012. He subsequently moved to Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk in early 2013. After six months there, Leonardo switched to Azerbaijani club Gabala. He changed clubs and countries again in August 2014, joining Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. In the summer of 2016, Leonardo signed with Serbian club Partizan, helping them win the double in the 2016–17 season.

Career

Early years

A native of Paraná, Leonardo started out at local club Matsubara. He later moved to Belgium and joined the youth team of Beerschot. In April 2012, it was announced that Leonardo signed a three-year contract with Ukrainian club Tavriya Simferopol with an effective date of 1 July 2012.[1] He eventually joined Cypriot side Enosis Neon Paralimni only a few months later. After promising performances in Cyprus, Leonardo made a return to Ukraine and signed with Metalurh Donetsk on a three-year deal in January 2013.[2] However, due to player's third-party ownership with his agent Dmitry Selyuk, the Cypriot club did not receive any transfer fee.

Gabala

On 13 July 2013, Leonardo joined Azerbaijani club Gabala on a one-year deal.[3] He scored seven league goals from 31 appearances in the 2013–14 season. They also finished as runners-up in the Azerbaijan Cup, losing on penalties to Neftçi after a 1–1 draw.

Anzhi Makhachkala
Leonardo playing for Anzhi Makhachkala in 2015

On 10 August 2014, Leonardo signed a two-year contract with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.[4] He scored his first competitive goal for the club on his 23rd birthday, finding the back of the net in the 84th minute of a 5–1 home league victory over Yenisey Krasnoyarsk.[5] On 10 May 2015, Leonardo scored twice in a 3–1 home win over Tyumen.[6] He scored a total of seven league goals in his debut season in the country, helping the club win promotion back to the Premier League at the first time. On 22 August 2015, Leonardo scored his first RFPL goal in a 1–1 draw with Ural Yekaterinburg, converting a second-half penalty.[7] However, the club eventually terminated his contract on 25 February 2016, due to the player's disciplinary record.[8]

Partizan

In June 2016, it was announced that Leonardo agreed to join Serbian club Partizan on a three-year deal.[9] He was officially presented two weeks later and assigned the number 42 shirt.[10] On 24 July 2016, Leonardo made his competitive debut for Partizan, coming off the bench as a second-half substitute for Miroslav Radović in the goalless draw against Bačka.[11] He netted his first goal for the club on 20 August 2016, shortly after substituting Saša Ilić in an eventual 1–2 away loss to Spartak Subotica.[12] Seven days later, Leonardo scored from a direct free kick in a 4–0 home league win over Rad.[13]

On 17 September 2016, Leonardo scored the winning goal in the 89th minute of the Belgrade derby, giving his team a 1–0 win at home.[14] He subsequently found the back of the net in the next four games, including a remarkable goal in a 1–0 away win over Metalac Gornji Milanovac.[15] By the end of the year, Leonardo scored six more league goals, including two braces in two home wins over Napredak Kruševac (3–2) in November,[16] and Spartak Subotica (2–0) in December.[17]

On 18 April 2017, Leonardo scored a brace in the Belgrade derby, an eventual 3–1 away success.[18] He ultimately collected the domestic double in his debut season at Partizan. Due to his consistent performances in the process, Leonardo was named in the league's best eleven.[19]

On 11 July 2017, Leonardo netted his first goal in UEFA competitions, giving Partizan a 2–0 home win over Budućnost Podgorica in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round.[20]

Al-Ahli

On 3 August 2017, Leonardo was transferred to Saudi club Al-Ahli for a fee of €4 million.[21] He signed a two-year deal with an option for two more seasons.[22]

Al Wahda

In August 2018, Leonardo signed a two-year contract with Emirati club Al Wahda on a free transfer.[23] He scored four goals to give his team a 4–3 home victory over Al-Rayyan in the fourth round of matches in Group B of the AFC Champions League.[24]

Shabab Al-Ahli

On 31 August 2019, Shabab Al-Ahli has signed Leonardo for one seasons from Al Wahda.[25]

Personal life

Leonardo's older brother, Alan, is also a footballer.

In January 2016, during a vacation in his homeland, Leonardo was involved in a fatal road traffic accident whilst intoxicated.[26]

Statistics
As of 6 June 2019[27]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Enosis Neon Paralimni 2012–13 11510———125
Metalurh Donetsk 2012–13 9100———91
Gabala 2013–14 31721———338
Anzhi Makhachkala 2014–15 21710———227
2015–16 10111———112
Total 31821———339
Partizan 2016–17 342442—00—3826
2017–18 0000—3[lower-alpha 1]1—31
Total 342442—31—4127
Al-Ahli 2017–18 191020002[lower-alpha 2]1—2311
Al Wahda 2018–19 211310765[lower-alpha 2]81[lower-alpha 3]03527
Shabab Al-Ahli 2019–20 11710510[lower-alpha 2]0—178
2020–21 0000000[lower-alpha 2]0—00
Career total 1677513412710101020396
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  3. Appearance(s) in UAE Super Cup

Honours

Club
Gabala[27]
Partizan[27]
Al Wahda[27]

Individual

References
  1. "Таврия подписала новичка" (in Ukrainian). focus.ua. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  2. "Леонардо да Силва переходит в донецкий Металлург" (in Russian). sports.ru. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  3. "Two new players for Gabala". gabalafc.az. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. "Leonardo da Silva Souza signs contract with Anji". fc-anji.ru. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  5. "5:1. Ярко, стильно, убедительно. (ВИДЕО)" (in Russian). fc-anji.ru. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  6. ""Анжи" гарантировал себе место в первой четверке. (ВИДЕО)" (in Russian). fc-anji.ru. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  7. ""Анжи" сыграл вничью с "Уралом". (ВИДЕО)" (in Russian). fc-anji.ru. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  8. "Леонардо уволен из "Анжи"" (in Russian). fc-anji.ru. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  9. "STIŽE POJAČANJE Leonardo na Instagramu potvrdio da dolazi u Partizan! /FOTO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  10. "POJAČANJE PARTIZANA Leonardo: Poredili su me sa Ronaldinjom" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  11. "Partizan 300 minuta bez gola, debitant slavi bod!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  12. "SL: Spartak srušio Partizan iz kontre!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  13. "SL: Partizan ubedljiv protiv Rada" (in Serbian). b92.net. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  14. "JUNAK DERBIJA Leonardo: Ovo sam sanjao, zbog ovog se igra fudbal! /VIDEO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  15. "SRUŠEN METALAC Majstorija Leonarda pogurala Partizan u Gornjem Milanovcu! /VIDEO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  16. "PRŠTALO U HUMSKOJ Dva isključenja, penal i Partizanov veliki preokret od 0:2 /VIDEO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  17. "MAJSTOR Leonardo srušio Spartak, pa pustio suzu na zatvaranju jeseni! /VIDEO/" (in Serbian). blic.rs. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  18. "Leonardo pokorio Marakanu, Partizan stigao Zvezdu!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  19. "SLS: Đurđević igrač sezone, Nikolić najbolji trener!" (in Serbian). rtvbn.com. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  20. "Tandem Đu-Le vodi Partizan ka trećem kolu!" (in Serbian). b92.net. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  21. "Leonardo u Al Ahliju - plata sve objašnjava!" (in Serbian). mondo.rs. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  22. "ليوناردو سوزا ينهي إجراءاته ويصل غداً" (in Arabic). alahlifc.sa. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  23. "Leonardo wings in as Al Wahda show they mean business in the AGL". msn.com. 6 August 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  24. "Four-star Leonardo sends Al Wahda on top with win over Al Rayyan". gulftoday.ae. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  25. Shabab Al-Ahli is officially signed by Leonardo
  26. "Футболист "Анжи" бросил женщину умирать после ДТП. ВИДЕО" (in Russian). ridus.ru. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  27. Leonardo da Silva Souza at Soccerway
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