Leon Perera (footballer)

Manimeldura Leon Perera (born 1 January 1997) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Oberliga Niedersachsen club Lüneburger SK Hansa. Born in Germany, he plays for the Sri Lanka national football team.

Leon Perera

Personal information
Full name	Manimeldura Leon Perera
Date of birth	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth	Hamburg, Germany
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	LSK Hansa
Number	13
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2024	MTV TB Lüneburg	147	(30)
2024–	LSK Hansa	25	(5)
International career‡
2024–	Sri Lanka	14	(1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 05 June 2025

Early life

Perera was born in Hamburg, Germany, to a Sri Lankan father and German mother.^[1][2]

Club career

Perera came through the youth ranks of MTV Treubund Lüneburg and made his senior debut in 2015.^[1]

In June 2024, he joined LSK Hansa.^[3][4][5]

International career

In 2022, Perera was invited by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka for trials during Sri Lanka's brief training camp in Doha, Qatar.^[1] On 22 March 2024, he made his international debut for Sri Lanka during a goalless draw against Papua New Guinea in the 2024 FIFA Series.^[6] On 10 September 2024, Perera converted the final penalty as Sri Lanka defeated Cambodia in tiebreakers in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round.^[7][8][9] Perera scored his first international goal on 5 June 2025 in a friendly match against Brunei.

Career statistics

International

As of 10 September 2024^[10]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Sri Lanka	2024	6	0
Total		6	0

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 June 2025	Alpine Football Camp,Bangkok, Thailand	Brunei	1–0	1–0	Friendly