Leonai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonai Souza de Almeida | ||
| Date of birth | 28 April 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Pontal, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| 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) |
| 2020–2024 | Plaza Colonia | 60 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Barcelona SC (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2024–2026 | Barcelona SC | 63 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 March 2026 | |||
Leonai Souza de Almeida (born 28 April 1995), simply known as Leonai, is a Brazilian footballer who last played as a midfielder for Ecuadorian club Barcelona SC.
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]