Marcos Leonardo
Brazilian footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcos Leonardo Santos Almeida (born 2 May 2003), known as Marcos Leonardo (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈmaʁkuz leoˈnaʁdu]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Ajax. He previously played for Santos, Benfica, and Al-Hilal.
|
Marcos Leonardo with Santos in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcos Leonardo Santos Almeida[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 May 2003[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Itapetinga, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 38 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2020 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | Santos | 130 | (43) |
| 2024 | Benfica | 17 | (8) |
| 2024–2026 | Al-Hilal | 51 | (30) |
| 2026– | Ajax | 4 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Brazil U16 | 5 | (2) |
| 2021–2023 | Brazil U20 | 13 | (15) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:54, 5 September 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16:42, 12 June 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Santos
Born in Itapetinga, Bahia, Marcos Leonardo moved to Taubaté, São Paulo in May 2014,[2] and joined Santos' youth setup in August, after a trial.[3] On 23 October 2019, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a three-year deal.[4]
On 21 July 2020, Marcos Leonardo was one of the five youth graduates registered for the year's Campeonato Paulista.[5] He made his professional – and Série A – debut on 20 August, coming on as a second-half substitute for Yeferson Soteldo in a 1–0 away win against Sport Recife.[6]
On 15 September 2020, Marcos Leonardo made his Copa Libertadores debut by replacing Raniel in a 0–0 home draw against Club Olimpia.[7] He scored his first professional goal on 4 October, netting his team's third in a 3–2 away win against Goiás.[8]
On 20 October 2020, Marcos Leonardo scored the winner in a 2–1 home success over Defensa y Justicia, becoming the sixth-youngest to score in the Libertadores, and the fourth-youngest Brazilian.[9] He spent the 2021 campaign as a backup option, initially behind fellow youth graduate Kaio Jorge and subsequently behind new signing Léo Baptistão.
On 15 January 2022, Marcos Leonardo agreed to renew his contract with Santos until 2026.[10] He became an undisputed starter, and started to score regularly for the club in the following years, becoming one of the 50 top goalscorers of their history after a winning goal against Palmeiras on 8 October 2023.[11]
Benfica
On 5 January 2024, Marcos Leonardo moved to Portugal, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract with Primeira Liga club Benfica,[12] for a reported transfer fee of €18 million, with Santos having the right to 10% of the profit the Lisbon-based club receive from a future transfer. His release clause was set at €150 million.[13]
On each of his first three league games for Benfica, against Rio Ave, Boavista and Estrela da Amadora, Marcos Leonardo came on as a substitute during the second half and scored, helping seal 4–1, 2–0 and 4–1 victories, respectively.[14][15][16] On 15 February 2024, he made his UEFA Europa League debut, coming off the bench to replace Arthur Cabral in the final minutes of a knockout round play-off match at home to Toulouse; he won a penalty that Ángel Di María converted, allowing Benfica to win by 2–1.[17]
Al Hilal
On 2 September 2024, Marcos Leonardo joined Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal on a five-year contract.[18]
On 30 June 2025, in the round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Leonardo scored twice, including the winning goal in extra-time as Al Hilal defeated Manchester City 4–3 to advance to the quarter-finals.[19]
On 2 February 2026, Atletico Madrid agreed a loan with an option to sign him in the summer for €40 million, as Leonardo was keen on impressing Carlo Ancelotti before the World Cup in the Summer. However Al Hilal reportedly pulled the plug on the deal as Karim Benzema's signing was in doubt.[20]
Ajax
On 17 July 2026, Eredivisie club Ajax announced the signing of Marcos Leonardo on a contract until 2031 for a transfer fee of just under €20 million.[21]
International career
Personal life
Marcos Leonardo's father, known as Marcos Coringa, was also a footballer. He played as a forward and appeared in amateur tournaments in his native Bahia.[24]
Career statistics
- As of match played 5 September 2026[25]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | League cup[c] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2020 | Série A | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 1 | — | 22 | 5 | ||
| 2021 | Série A | 16 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 11[e] | 1 | — | 40 | 7 | |||
| 2022 | Série A | 35 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | — | 4[f] | 2 | — | 57 | 21 | |||
| 2023 | Série A | 31 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | 3[f] | 1 | — | 49 | 21 | |||
| Total | 100 | 35 | 30 | 8 | 17 | 6 | — | 21 | 5 | — | 168 | 54 | ||||
| Benfica | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 7 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[g] | 0 | — | 21 | 7 | ||
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 17 | 8 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 24 | 8 | ||||
| Al-Hilal | 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 24 | 17 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 11[h] | 5 | 5[i] | 4 | 43 | 29 | ||
| 2025–26 | Saudi Pro League | 27 | 13 | — | 5 | 2 | — | 7[h] | 4 | — | 39 | 19 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 30 | — | 8 | 5 | — | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 82 | 48 | ||||
| Ajax | 2026–27 | Eredivisie | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 5[j] | 1 | — | 9 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 172 | 74 | 30 | 8 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 283 | 112 | ||
- Includes Campeonato Paulista
- Includes Copa do Brasil, Taça de Portugal, King's Cup, KNVB Cup
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Nine appearances and one goal in Copa Libertadores, two appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
Al-Hilal
Individual
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Silver Boot: 2023[27]
- Saudi Pro League Player of the Month: January 2025
