Leonardo da Silva Souza’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Leonardo da Silva Souza (born 18 March 1992), known simply as Leonardo, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Serbian club Partizan. He operates as an attacking midfielder who can play on both flanks.
Leonardo arrived to Europe at an early age, making his senior debut 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, joining Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2014.

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. 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. 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. 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

On 10 August 2014, Leonardo signed a two-year contract with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. 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. On 10 May 2015, Leonardo scored twice in a 3–1 home win over Tyumen. 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. However, the club eventually terminated his contract on 25 February 2016, due to the player’s disciplinary record.

Partizan

In June 2016, it was announced that Leonardo agreed to join Serbian club Partizan on a three-year deal. He was officially presented two weeks later and assigned the number 42 shirt. 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. 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. Seven days later, Leonardo scored from a direct free kick in a 4–0 home league win over Rad.

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. 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. 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, and Spartak Subotica (2–0) in December.

Personal life

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

Statistics

As of 16 December 2016

Honours

Gabala

• Azerbaijan Cup: Runner-up 2013–14