Leonardo Santiago

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Leonardo
Personal information
Full nameLeonardo Vitor Santiago
Date of birth (1983-03-09) 9 March 1983
Place of birthRio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current clubFerencvárosi TC
Number99
Youth career
Nova Safra
1995–2000Feyenoord
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2000–2005Feyenoord55(4)
2006Breda31(10)
2007–2009Ajax40(5)
2009–2012Breda42(6)
2011–2012→ Red Bull Salzburg (loan)17(2)
2013–Ferencvárosi TC10(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 November 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).

Leonardo Vitor Santiago (born 9 March 1983), commonly known as Leonardo, is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for Hungarian side Ferencváros. Leonardo usually plays as a winger.

Biography

Leonardo started at the Nova Safra football school in Rio de Janeiro and was raised in the Jacarezinho neighbourhood, which is also the area where Romário spent his early years.[citation needed] At the age of 11 his football talent was discovered by Jos de Putter who dedicated the documentary "Solo, de wet van de favela" to him and another young player.[citation needed] Following the attention it brought him he moved to Rotterdam to play in Feyenoord's youth squads at Varkenoord.[1] He made his debut for Feyenoord on 19 August 2000 in a 2–0 victory over AZ at the age of 17, which brought him and Feyenoord into trouble as non European Union players were not able to play[citation needed] for a professional team under the age of 18. Leonardo had to wait until he turned 18 to play in Feyenoord's first team again. He scored his first goal in the match versus SC Heerenveen, which ended in 2–0. His second goal he scored in the away win against arch rivals Ajax.

In his first two seasons at Feyenoord he played 44 matches and scored four goals. He was part of the Feyenoord squad that won the 2001–02 UEFA Cup. From that moment on he suffered several long term injuries and in the period from August 2002 to December 2005 he only played 11 matches due to these injuries and some arguments with his managers at the club.[citation needed]

He felt his final breakthrough in Rotterdam would never happen and he decided to leave the club and join NAC Breda in January 2006 on a 1.5-year deal.[citation needed] An argument with manager Cees Lok aside, he helped NAC Breda to stay in the Eredivisie by scoring 8 goals in 14 matches in the regular season, which made him top goal scorer at the club.[citation needed] NAC still had to play relegation play-offs and during the first match of these play-offs Leonardo suffered another injury and was not able to play any more matches until the end of the season.[citation needed]

Just two days before the start of the Eredivisie 2006/2007 season Leonardo had another conflict with a manager, this time with newly appointed Ernie Brandts[citation needed]. Brandts wanted Leonardo to play as a left winger, while Leonardo rather played as a right winger.[citation needed] Leonardo was suspended after he suddenly left a training, but was later allowed back into the team again.[citation needed]

In December 2006 Leonardo agreed with Ajax on a new 2.5-year contract. On 21 January 2007 he played his first Ajax Eredivisie game against FC Utrecht[2] Six weeks later in the game against SC Heerenveen he suffered a heavy injury tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which sidelined him for at least another six months.[citation needed]

Leonardo was mainly used as a backup player by Ajax coaches Ten Cate as well as Koster.[citation needed]

2011 he went from NAC Breda to FC Red Bull Salzburg on loan.

In 2012 he was set back to the reserves of FC Red Bull Salzburg and Leonardo eventually left the club after been released.[citation needed]

In February 2013 Leonardo signed a contract with Hungarian top club Ferencváros.[3]

Statistics

Season Club Competition Apps Goals
2000/01FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie232
2001/02FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie212
2002/03FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie30
2003/04FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie30
2004/05FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie40
2005/06FeyenoordNetherlands Eredivisie10
2005/06NAC BredaNetherlands Eredivisie148
2006/07NAC BredaNetherlands Eredivisie172
2006/07AjaxNetherlands Eredivisie71
2007/08AjaxNetherlands Eredivisie92
2008/09AjaxNetherlands Eredivisie242
2009/10NAC BredaNetherlands Eredivisie174
2010/11NAC BredaNetherlands Eredivisie252
2011/12FC Red Bull SalzburgAustria Bundesliga172
2012/13 Ferencvárosi TCHungary NB1 9 2
2013/14 Ferencvárosi TCHungary NB1 1 0
Total 177 26

Honours

Club

References

  1. ↑ Ajax confirm purchase of NAC Breda forward Leonardo
  2. ↑ "Tactical Formation". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 22 January 2007. 
  3. ↑ "Ferencváros announcing Leonardo has signed". Retrieved 20 February 2013. 
  4. ↑ Red Bull Salzburg are the 2011–12 champions

External links

Ferencvárosi TC – current squad
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