Hugo Leal

A Portuguese footballer Hugo Miguel Ribeiro Leal was born on 21 May 1980 in Cascais.

His career started at the youth department of Benfica. After he had graduated from the academy he was offered a professional contract. His division debut happened in a match against Espinho, when he was 17. The 1998/1999 season turned to be very fortunate for the young player: he featured in 27 matches and scored 3 goals.

In 1999, a move to Spanish Atlético Madrid happened, where he stayed until 2001 scoring 5 goals in 59 matches.

In 2001, Leal penned a contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Together with the team Hugo twice reached French Cup final. He made 60 appearances and netted 2 goals. But he got a serious trauma, which prevented him from playing during the season. In 2004, the contract was canceled by mutual consent.

In 2004, Leal came back to his motherland and penned a four-year contract with Porto. He had made 7 appearances for the team before he was loaned out by Académica. During that period Hugo thought over finishing his football career. He made only 12 appearances for the temporary club.

In 2005, a transfer to Braga happened. The footballer featured in 17 club’s fixtures during two seasons.

In the summer 2007, Hugo returned to Lisbon, where he performed for Belenenses, making only 8 appearances. In October 2008, a year deal was finalized with Trofense. The player netted 3 goals in 21 matches for the club.

In 2009, Hugo came back to Spain, where he performed for Salamanca. Over the course of a season, Leal made 36 appearances. In 2010, when he was 30 he returned to Portugal and signed for Vitória de Setúbal. In 2012, a new contract was signed with Estoril. In 2013 Leal retired from professional football.

In 1998, Leal got his first cap for the Portugal U-21 team. In total, he made 20 appearances and scored 4 goals for the squad.