Leonai

Leonai Souza de Almeida (born 28 April 1995), simply known as Leonai, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ecuadorian club Barcelona SC.

Leonai

Personal information
Full name	Leonai Souza de Almeida
Date of birth	(1995-04-28) 28 April 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Pontal, Brazil
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Barcelona SC
Number	22
Youth career
	Olé Brasil
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016	Jaboticabal	0	(0)
2017	Sete de Dourados	0	(0)
2017	Taquaritinga	16	(1)
2018–2019	Comercial-SP	38	(1)
2020–2022	Plaza Colonia	60	(1)
2022	→ Barcelona SC (loan)	17	(1)
2023–	→ Barcelona SC	39	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:08, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Pontal, São Paulo, Leonai played for Olé Brasil as a youth,^[1] and made his senior debut with Jaboticabal in 2016, playing for the side in a non-official tournament called Taça Paulista [pt].^[2] He was announced by Sete de Dourados in January 2017,^[3] but spent only 40 days at the club before leaving.^[2] During that period, he also worked as a stock boy in a supermarket and as an assistant in a chemical laboratory.^[4]

On 26 April 2017, Leonai joined Taquaritinga.^[5] After impressing with the side in the year's Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisão, he was announced at Comercial-SP on 16 January 2018.^[6]

On 17 October 2018, after helping Comercial in their promotion to the Campeonato Paulista Série A3, Leonai renewed his contract until 2020.^[7] He scored his first goal for the club the following 6 April, netting the winner in a 1–0 success over Desportivo Brasil.^[8]

Plaza Colonia

On 6 November 2019, Comercial confirmed the transfer of Leonai to Uruguayan club Plaza Colonia.^[9] He made his professional – and Primera División – debut on 7 March 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Leandro Suhr in a 1–1 home draw against Fénix.

Leonai became a regular starter for the Patas Blancas, and scored his first professional goal on 28 June 2021, netting the opener in a 1–1 home draw against Cerro Largo.^[10] At the end of that season, he was chosen as the best foreign player of the tournament by Referí, the football section of newspaper El Observador.^[11]

Loan to Barcelona SC

On 10 January 2022, Ecuadorian Serie A side Barcelona SC announced that Leonai had joined the club on a one-year loan deal, with a buyout clause.^[12]

Career statistics

As of 23 March 2022^[13]

Club	Season	League			State League		Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Taquaritinga	2017	Paulista 2ª Divisão	—		16	1	—		—		—		16	1
Comercial-SP	2018[14]	Paulista 2ª Divisão	—		22	0	—		—		—		22	0
	2019[14]	Paulista A3	—		16	1	—		—		20[a]	0	36	1
	Total		—		38	1	—		—		20	0	58	1
Plaza Colonia	2020	Primera División	31	0	—		—		3[b]	0	—		34	0
	2021		29	1	—		—		—		—		29	1
	Total		60	1	—		—		3	0	—		63	1
Barcelona SC	2022	Serie A	3	0	—		—		5[c]	0	—		8	0
Career total			63	1	54	2	0	0	8	0	20	0	145	3

1. Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
2. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
3. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores

Honours

Individual

• Uruguayan Primera División Team of the season: 2021^[15]