Place of birth Santos, Brazil Name Leo Baptistao Career start 2012 2008–2011 Rayo Vallecano Weight 77 kg | Number 10 Height 1.81 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Full name Leonardo Carrilho Baptistao Date of birth (1992-08-26) 26 August 1992 (age 23) Current team Villarreal CF (#10 / Forward) Similar People Samu Castillejo, Emiliano Insua, Alberto Bueno, Luciano Vietto, Manucho | ||
Léo Baptistão
Leonardo Carrilho Baptistão (born 26 August 1992), commonly known as Léo Baptistão, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club RCD Espanyol. He mainly operates as a striker, but can also appear as a winger.
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Early career
Born in Santos, São Paulo, Baptistão began playing football for Associação Atlética Portuguesa (Santos), alongside Neymar. Aged only 16, he moved to Spain and joined Rayo Vallecano's youth system. However, he soon contracted hepatitis and had to return home to be treated by his father, a doctor; subsequently he was loaned to CD San Fernando de Henares after the Royal Spanish Football Federation prevented him from joining his previous club.
Rayo Vallecano
In July 2011, after playing his last year as a junior again with Rayo, Baptistão joined the first team for preseason games. However, in his debut, a Trophy of Vallecas match against Sporting de Gijón, he suffered a collarbone injury; his first appearances as a senior were made with the B-team, in Segunda División B.
In the 2012 summer, Baptistão was again summoned for Rayo main squad's preseason. On 25 August he finally made his first-team debut, starting in a 2–1 La Liga away win against Real Betis, assisting Piti on one goal and scoring the winner. On 16 September he netted against Atlético Madrid but in a 3–4 away loss, adding a brace the following month at RCD Espanyol but again not being able to help his team gain a single point.
Baptistão quickly became an automatic first-choice in his first year with the Paco Jémez-led side. On 3 November 2012 he provided a further two assists for Piti in a 2–1 away win over Málaga CF, scoring his fifth goal of the season the following matchday, a 3–2 home success against Celta de Vigo.
In January 2013, with the winter transfer window opened, Baptistão was linked with moves to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Leeds United and Brighton, but nothing came of it. On 14 February, in only his second appearance after being sidelined several weeks with a muscle injury, he scored the winner in a 2–1 home win over Atlético Madrid, only to be downed with another collarbone ailment in April, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Atlético Madrid
On 3 June 2013, Baptistão signed a five-year contract with Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for his new team on 21 August, replacing Arda Turan in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona for the first leg of the domestic Supercup, which was eventually lost on the away goals rule.
Baptistão scored his first goal for the Colchoneros on 18 September 2013, in a 3–1 home win over FC Zenit Saint Petersburg for the season's UEFA Champions League. It was also his maiden appearance in the competition.
On 11 January of the following year, Baptistão joined fellow league club Betis on loan until June. He scored in a 2-0 away win against city rivals Sevilla FC in the last-16 clash of the UEFA Europa League, but the tie eventually ended in penalty shootout elimination.
On 19 August 2014, Baptistão joined former side Rayo in a season-long loan. In late September, in two games separated by only three days, he earned his team six points by scoring braces at home against Athletic Bilbao (2–1) and at Levante UD (2–0).
Baptistão was loaned to Villarreal CF in the 2015 summer, with the club having an option to buy him at the end of the campaign. On 27 September, he helped defeat Atlético Madrid by scoring the game's only goal at the Estadio El Madrigal, and four days later, against FC Viktoria Plzeň for the Europa League group stage, repeated the feat.
Espanyol
On 9 July 2016, Baptistão signed a permanent five-year deal with RCD Espanyol.