Leonai
Personal information
Full name Leonai Souza de Almeida
Date of birth (1995-04-28) 28 April 1995
Place of birth Pontal, Brazil
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Barcelona SC
(on loan from Plaza Colonia)
Number 22
Youth career
Olé Brasil
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Jaboticabal 0 (0)
2017 Sete de Dourados 0 (0)
2017 Taquaritinga 16 (1)
2018–2019 Comercial-SP 38 (1)
2020– Plaza Colonia 60 (1)
2022–Barcelona SC (loan) 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:08, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

Leonai Souza de Almeida (born 28 April 1995), simply known as Leonai, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ecuadorian club Barcelona SC, on loan from Uruguayan club Plaza Colonia.

Club career

Early career

Born in Pontal, São Paulo, Leonai played for Olé Brasil as a youth,[1] and made his senior debut with Jaboticabal in 2016, playing for the side in a non-official tournament called Taça Paulista.[2] He was announced by Sete de Dourados in January 2017,[3] but spent only 40 days at the club before leaving.[2] During that period, he also worked as a stock boy in a supermarket and as an assistant in a chemical laboratory.[4]

On 26 April 2017, Leonai joined Taquaritinga.[5] After impressing with the side in the year's Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisão, he was announced at Comercial-SP on 16 January 2018.[6]

On 17 October 2018, after helping Comercial in their promotion to the Campeonato Paulista Série A3, Leonai renewed his contract until 2020.[7] He scored his first goal for the club the following 6 April, netting the winner in a 1–0 success over Desportivo Brasil.[8]

Plaza Colonia

On 6 November 2019, Comercial confirmed the transfer of Leonai to Uruguayan club Plaza Colonia.[9] He made his professional – and Primera División – debut on 7 March 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Leandro Suhr in a 1–1 home draw against Fénix.

Leonai became a regular starter for the Patas Blancas, and scored his first professional goal on 28 June 2021, netting the opener in a 1–1 home draw against Cerro Largo.[10] At the end of that season, he was chosen as the best foreign player of the tournament by Referí, the football section of newspaper El Observador.[11]

Loan to Barcelona SC

On 10 January 2022, Ecuadorian Serie A side Barcelona SC announced that Leonai had joined the club on a one-year loan deal, with a buyout clause.[12]

Career statistics

As of 23 March 2022[13]
Club Season League State League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Taquaritinga 2017 Paulista 2ª Divisão 161161
Comercial-SP 2018[14] Paulista 2ª Divisão 220220
2019[14] Paulista A3 16120[lower-alpha 1]0361
Total 381200581
Plaza Colonia 2020 Primera División 3103[lower-alpha 2]0340
2021 291291
Total 60130631
Barcelona SC 2022 Serie A 305[lower-alpha 3]080
Career total 63154200802001453
  1. Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
  2. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  3. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ""É uma sensação incrível", afirma Leonai sobre jogar no Bafo" ["It is an incredible feeling", says Leonai about playing at Bafo] (in Brazilian Portuguese). W Sports. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 ""É a oportunidade da minha vida", diz brasileiro Leonai, sobre jogar no Plaza Colonia, em exclusiva" ["It is the opportunity of my life", says Brazilian Leonai, about playing at Plaza Colonia, in an exclusive interview]. FNV Sports (in Brazilian Portuguese). OneFootball. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. "Veja quem é quem no elenco do Sete de Dourados para a temporada 2017" [See who is who in the squad of Sete de Dourados for the 2017 season] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. "Leonai Souza, de trabajar en un supermercado a jugar fútbol profesional" [Leonai Souza, from working in a supermarket to playing professional football] (in Spanish). Extra. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. "CAT ANUNCIA NOVAS CONTRATAÇÕES" [CAT ANNOUNCE NEW SIGNINGS]. Clube Atlético Taquaritinga (in Brazilian Portuguese). Facebook. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. "Comercial apresenta primeiros sete reforços para a Segundona" [Comercial present the first seven additions for the Segundona] (in Brazilian Portuguese). A Cidade On. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. "Leonai Renova Com Comercial Até 2020" [Leonai renews with Comercial until 2020] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ImprensaLivre.top. 17 October 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. "Leonai celebra 1º gol pelo Comercial e descarta jogar pelo regulamento em Porto Feliz" [Leonai celebrates 1st goal for Comercial and discards playing under the rules in Porto Feliz] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  9. "Paulista A3: Comercial confirma venda de jogador para time da elite uruguaia" [Paulista A3: Comercial confirm transfer of player to team from the Uruguayan top tier] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Futebol Interior. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. "Empate a uno entre Plaza Colonia y Cerro Largo" [1–1 draw between Plaza Colonia and Cerro Largo] (in Spanish). TyC Sports. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  11. "Fútbolx100: Leonai Souza fue elegido mejor extranjero del Campeonato Uruguayo 2021" [Fútbolx100: Leonai Souza was chosen the best foreigner of the 2021 Uruguayan tournament] (in Spanish). El Observador. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  12. "Oficial: Leonai Souza" [Official: Leonai Souza] (in Spanish). Barcelona SC. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  13. Leonai at Soccerway. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Comercial encaminha saídas de Leonai e Mizael, mas mantém percentual para futuras negociações" [Comercial set departures of Leonai and Mizael, but keep percentage of future negotiations] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2022. Leonai foi titular do Comercial nas últimas duas temporadas. No total, ele fez 58 jogos pelo Alvinegro.
  15. "Se definieron los Premios AUF anuales 2021" [Defined the 2021 AUF Annual Awards] (in Spanish). Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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