Leonardo Santiago

Football player infobox
playername = Leonardo
fullname = Leonardo Vitor Santiago
height = height|m=1.73


dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1983|3|9|mf=y
cityofbirth = Rio de Janeiro
countryofbirth = Brazil
currentclub = Ajax
clubnumber = 23
position = Striker/ Left Winger
youthyears = 1995-2000
youthclubs = Feyenoord
years = 2000-2005 2005-2007 2007-
clubs = Feyenoord NAC Breda Ajax
caps(goals) = 55 0(4) 31 (10) 12 0(3)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = Brazil
nationalcaps(goals) = 00 0(0)
pcupdate = March 02, 2008
ntupdate = March 02, 2008

Leonardo Vitor Santiago (born March 9, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro), is a football (soccer) player, who currently plays for Ajax. He started his professional career by playing for Feyenoord in the 2000/2001 season and was said to be a hot prospect for the future. Due to several long term injuries his career was set on hold. Leonardo can play as a left winger or as a striker. He has 22 caps for the Brazil U23 football team.

Biography

Leonardo started at the Nova Safra football school in Rio de Janeiro and was raised in the Jacarezinho neighbourhood, which is also the area where Romário spent his early years. At the age of 12 he was scouted by Piet de Visser and moved to Rotterdam to play in Feyenoord's youth squads at Varkenoord. [ [http://www.ajax-usa.com/news/2006-2007/ajax-confirm-purchase-of-nac-breda-forward-leonardo.html Ajax confirm purchase of NAC Breda forward Leonardo ] ] He made his debut for Feyenoord on August 19, 2000 in a 2-0 victory over AZ at the age of 17, which brought him and Feyenoord into trouble as non European Union players were not able to play for a professional team under the age of 18. Leonardo had to wait until he turned 18 to play in Feyenoord's first team again. He scored his first goal in the match versus SC Heerenveen, which ended in 2-0. His second goal he scored in the away win against arch rivals Ajax and his popularity among Feyenoord fans grew.

In his first two seasons at Feyenoord he played 44 matches and scored four goals, but mainly produced assists for his team mates to score. He was part of the Feyenoord squad that won the 2001-02 UEFA Cup. From that moment on he suffered several long term injuries and in the period from August 2002 to December 2005 he only played 11 matches due to these injuries and some arguments with his managers at the club. Every time Leonardo recovered from his injury he fell right back into another one.

He felt his final breakthrough in Rotterdam would never happen and he decided to leave the club and join NAC Breda in January 2006 on a 1.5 year deal. An argument with manager Cees Lok aside, he helped NAC Breda to stay in the Eredivisie by scoring 8 goals in 14 matches in the regular season, which made him top goal scorer at the club. NAC still had to play relegation play-offs and during the first match of these play-offs Leonardo suffered another injury and was not able to play any more matches until the end of the season.

Just two days before the start of the Eredivisie 2006/2007 season Leonardo had another conflict with a manager, this time with newly appointed Ernie Brandts. Brandts wanted Leonardo to play as a left winger, while Leonardo rather played as a striker. Leonardo was suspended after he suddenly left a training, but was later allowed back into the team again.

In December 2006 Leonardo agreed with Ajax on a new 2.5 year contract. Ajax paid a transfer fee of € 750,000. Leonardo got half of the fee, while NAC Breda received the other half. On January 21, 2007 he played his first Ajax Eredivisie game against FC Utrecht [ cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com|url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3246.php | accessdate=January 22 | accessyear=2007] Six weeks later in the game against SC Heerenveen he suffered a heavy injury tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which sidelined him for at least another six months.

Leonardo was mainly used as a backup player by Ajax coaches Ten Cate as well as Koster, and in 2008 the club let him know he was not needed anymore.

tatistics

External links

* [http://www.vi.nl/vi/show/id=40053/dbid=36645/typeofpage=40054/sc=a72995 Voetbal International profile]

References

* [http://www.vi.nl Voetbal International website and 2007/2008 presentation magazine]