León in action for Real Madrid |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pedro León Sánchez Gil | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Mula, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Getafe (on loan from Real Madrid) | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Muleño | ||
| 2003–2004 | Nueva Vanguardia | ||
| 2004 | Murcia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2005 | Murcia B | 18 | (4) |
| 2005–2007 | Murcia | 68 | (10) |
| 2007–2008 | Levante | 24 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Valladolid | 33 | (3) |
| 2009–2010 | Getafe | 35 | (8) |
| 2010– | Real Madrid | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Getafe (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2009 | Spain U21 | 6 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Pedro León Sánchez Gil (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpeðɾo leˈon ˈsantʃeθ]; born 24 November 1986), known as León, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF on loan from Real Madrid, as a right winger.
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Born in Mula, Region of Murcia, León began his career playing for local Muleño CF and Nueva Vanguardia's youth teams, eventually moving in early 2004 to Real Murcia to finish his formation.
After a spell with the B team, he made his first team debut on January 15, 2005, in a Segunda División 1–5 loss at UE Lleida, going on to play a further six matches during the season, netting in a 3–1 win at local rivals Ciudad de Murcia.
The following two seasons, León became an integral player for Murcia, scoring seven goals in 2006–07, several from free kicks, as the side returned to La Liga after a three-year absence.
In January 2007, he was rumoured to be moving to Real Madrid or Chelsea, being speculated that the latter would buy him for £3.4 million.[1] Despite this rumours, he instead moved to modest Levante UD in the summer of 2007 for £2.5 million after rejecting an offer from to renew his contract for €1 million, in a move the club found quite offensive.[2]
During 2007–08, León often underachieved, starting only 11 times from 24, as Levante returned to the second level.[3] He also ended up training alone due to conflicts with teammates.[2]
On 13 September 2008, Real Valladolid bought León for €300,000 after a quick negotiation.[4] Soon becoming a first-choice, he provided his first assist for Fabián Canobbio on November 15, in a 1–0 home win against Real Madrid,[5] netting his first for the club a week later, in Valladolid's 3–0 away success over Villarreal CF.[6]
After lengthy negotiations with Getafe CF, with the player appearing very rarely for Valladolid in pre-season, a five-year contract worth around €4 million was finally arranged in August 2009.[7] During the season, León scored nine goals in official matches (eight in the league, with nine assists), as the Madrid side finished sixth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League for the second time in its history.
On 15 July 2010, Real Madrid confirmed the transfer of León, for €10 million.[8][9] The player passed the pertinent medical test and was presented the following day.[10] On 4 August, he made his club debut in a friendly match against Club América, playing the full match in a 3–2 win;[11] in his second appearance, four days later, he scored against the Los Angeles Galaxy, as the match ended with the same score, favorable to the Merengues.[12]
On 3 November 2010, León scored his first official goal for Real Madrid, combining with Karim Benzema - both players had come from the bench during the second half - for a last-minute goal at A.C. Milan for the season's UEFA Champions League group stage, a 2–2 draw that sent the Spaniards through to the knockout stage.[13]
During the course of 2010–11, however, León appeared rarely for Real Madrid: after assuming he would start against AJ Auxerre in the Champions League in late September, he was immediately dropped from the list of 18 by coach José Mourinho.[14] Later, he was ridiculed in the press by his own manager when the latter justified his absence.[15] In early February 2011, both he and teammate Fernando Gago were dropped from the squad that would face Sevilla FC in the season's Copa del Rey, for fighting in training;[16] the Argentine was however picked for the next match, whereas the winger was not.
Additionally, León was also not allowed to leave on loan in the winter transfer window, after renewed interest from Chelsea.[17] In March 2011, after the market had closed, Hércules CF tried to acquire the player in the same predicament, following Tote's severe knee injury, but Real Madrid refused again.
In the very last days of the 2011 summer transfer window, León returned to former club Getafe, in a season-long loan.[18] On 1 October he scored his first goal in his second spell, with a spectacular long-range strike at Málaga CF, in an eventual 2–3 loss.[19]
León made his debut for the Spanish national under-21 football team on 31 January 2007. On 6 February, Iñaki Sáez played him again in a friendly against England, in which he was replaced by Juan Mata in a 2–2 away draw.[20] He also featured in the 2009 Under-21 Euro qualifier against Georgia, replacing Alejandro Alfaro in a 1–0 away win.[21]
Picked in the 23-man squad for the final stages in Sweden, León scored in the final game against Finland, but the national team did not progress from the group stage.[22]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Murcia | 2004–05 | 7 | 1 | - | 7 | 1 | |||||||
| 2005–06 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 32 | 2 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | - | 32 | 7 | ||||||
| Total | 68 | 10 | 3 | 0 | - | 71 | 10 | ||||||
| Levante | 2007–08 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 27 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 24 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 27 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Valladolid | 2008–09 | 33 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 35 | 5 | 9 | ||
| Total | 33 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 35 | 5 | 9 | |||
| Getafe | 2009–10 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | - | 42 | 9 | 11 | ||
| Total | 35 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | - | 42 | 9 | 11 | |||
| Real Madrid | 2010–11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 | |
| Getafe | 2011–12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 166 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 189 | 29 | 23 | |
León's older brother, Luis León Sánchez, is a road bicycle racer.[23] His other brother, Antonio, also plays football, but the indoor variety.
León is not his surname, but he carries it as a second name in memory of his grandfather and eldest brother, both died in 2006 (the latter in a motorbike accident), and tends to just go by the name León rather than León Sánchez (as his two brothers), also celebrating his goals by pointing to the sky.[23]
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