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 —161———161
Comercial-SP 2018[14] Paulista 2ª Divisão —220———220
2019[14] Paulista A3 —161——20[lower-alpha 1]0361
Total —381——200581
Plaza Colonia 2020 Primera División 310——3[lower-alpha 2]0—340
2021 291————291
Total 601——30—631
Barcelona SC 2022 Serie A 30——5[lower-alpha 3]0—80
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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