Léo San

Léo San is a Brazilian defender, born on 22 July 1982 in Penápolis, Brazil.

In 2000 Léo joined the youth football academy of FC Guarani, where he got ready to move to the professional level. During his two years with the academy he managed to develop basic defensive skills and proved himself to be a really gifted player. In 2002 he finally signed a professional contract with the club.

Unfortunately, there was no place for the youngster in a first-team line-up, as the club possessed more experienced players on his position. As a result, San left the Brazilian outfit 18 months later without a single official appearance for the side.

In 2004 the player travelled to Japan, where he clinched a deal with FC Montedio Yamagata. The contract guaranteed him the status of an important first-team member, so Léo was more than enthusiastic about his new adventure at the other end of the world. There he immediately got his chance to shine during pre-season friendlies and made a full use of it, coming up to the head coach’s expectations with a solid performance. Later he managed to show even better play during competitive fixtures, becoming an integral part of the club’s backline and indispensable first-team member. His natural talent, coupled with regular playing practice helped him to develop his professional skills. By the time he left the club five and a half years later, he added an amazing 221 appearances and 11 goals to his career stats.

In 2010 the defender returned to Brazil, where he joined the ranks of FC Avaí. There he again warmed the bench for the most of the season, making just 5 appearances for the side.

Being unhappy with his squad role he got back to Asia the next season and signed a contract with FC Qingdao Jonoon. There he was able to reanimate his career, making more than 50 appearances throughout his first two years with the Chinese Super League club.

In 2012 the Brazilian was released from the squad.