Léo Baptistão

Leonardo "Leo" Carrilho Baptistão (born 26 August 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Chinese club Wuhan Zall F.C. mainly as a striker but also as a winger.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Carrilho and the second or paternal family name is Baptistão.

Léo Baptistão
Baptistão with Atlético Madrid in 2013
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Carrilho Baptistão
Date of birth (1992-08-26) 26 August 1992
Place of birth Santos, Brazil
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Wuhan Zall
Number 10
Youth career
Portuguesa Santista
2008–2011 Rayo Vallecano
2009–2010 → San Fernando (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Rayo Vallecano B 17 (4)
2012–2013 Rayo Vallecano 28 (7)
2013–2016 Atlético Madrid 5 (0)
2014 → Betis (loan) 17 (1)
2014–2015 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 25 (7)
2015–2016 → Villarreal (loan) 26 (3)
2016–2019 Espanyol 77 (16)
2019– Wuhan Zall 27 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 November 2019

He spent most of his career in Spain from the age of 16, making 178 appearances and scoring 34 goals in La Liga. He represented Rayo Vallecano, Atlético Madrid, Betis, Villarreal and Espanyol in the competition, and played a part in Atlético's league win in 2013–14.

Club career

Early career

Born in Santos, São Paulo, Baptistão began playing football for Associação Atlética Portuguesa (Santos), alongside Neymar.[1] 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.[2][3]

Rayo Vallecano

In July 2011, after playing his last year as a junior again with Rayo, Baptistão joined the first team for preseason games.[4] However, in his debut, a Trophy of Vallecas match against Sporting de Gijón, he suffered a collarbone injury;[5] his first appearances as a senior were made with the B-team, in Segunda División B.

In the summer of 2012, Baptistão was recalled for Rayo's main squad for the 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 decider.[6] On 16 September he netted against Atlético Madrid but in a 3–4 away loss,[7] adding a brace the following month at RCD Espanyol but again not being able to help his team earn a single point.[8]

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 victory over Málaga CF,[9] scoring his fifth goal of the season the following matchday, a 3–2 home defeat of RC Celta de Vigo.[10]

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,[11] but nothing came of it. On 14 February, in his second appearance after being sidelined several weeks with a muscle injury,[12][13] he scored the winner in a 2–1 home win over Atlético Madrid,[14] only to be downed with another collarbone ailment in April, which sidelined him for the rest of the season.[15]

Atlético Madrid

On 3 June 2013, Baptistão signed a five-year contract with Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee.[16] He made his debut for his new team on 21 August, replacing Arda Turan in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona in the first leg of the domestic Supercup, which was eventually lost on the away goals rule.[17]

Baptistão scored his first goal for the Colchoneros on 18 September 2013, in a 3–1 home win over FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in that season's UEFA Champions League. It was also his maiden appearance in the competition.[18]

On 11 January 2014, Baptistão joined fellow league club Betis on loan until June.[19] He scored in a 2–0 away win over city rivals Sevilla FC in the last-16 clash of the UEFA Europa League,[20] but the tie eventually ended in penalty shootout elimination.

On 19 August 2014, Baptistão joined former side Rayo in a season-long loan.[21] In late September, in two matches separated by only three days, he earned his team six points by scoring braces at home against Athletic Bilbao (2–1)[22] and at Levante UD (2–0).[23]

Baptistão was loaned to Villarreal CF in July 2015, with the club having an option to buy him at the end of the campaign.[24] On 27 September, he helped defeat Atlético Madrid by scoring the game's only goal at the Estadio El Madrigal,[25] and four days later, against FC Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League group stage, repeated the feat.[26]

Espanyol

On 9 July 2016, Baptistão signed a permanent five-year deal with Espanyol.[27] In his second season, he scored a career-best eight goals.[28]

Wuhan Zall

On 31 January 2019, Baptistão transferred to Chinese Super League newcomers Wuhan Zall FC.[29]

Career statistics

Club
As of 31 December 2019.[30][31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rayo Vallecano B 2011–12 Segunda División B 174–––174
Rayo Vallecano 2012–13 La Liga 28710––297
Atlético Madrid 2013–14 La Liga 5010312[lower-alpha 1]0111
Betis (loan) 2013–14 La Liga 1711041–222
Rayo Vallecano (loan) 2014–15 La Liga 25710––267
Villarreal (loan) 2015–16 La Liga 2632162–346
Espanyol 2016–17 La Liga 21610––226
2017–18 La Liga 36841––409
2018–19 La Liga 20241––243
Total 77169200008618
Wuhan Zall 2019 Chinese Super League 27700––277
Career total 222451531342025252
  1. Appearances in Supercopa de España

Honours

Atlético Madrid

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References
  1. Neymar relembra início de carreira na Briosa ao lado de Léo Baptistão (Neymar remembers start of career in Briosa alongside Léo Baptistão); Globo Esporte, 29 October 2012 (in Spanish)
  2. Las lesiones retrasaron la aparición de Leo en la élite (Injuries delayed Leo's coming into scene at the top); Diario AS, 27 August 2012 (in Spanish)
  3. Canterano corner – Leo Baptistao Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Forza Futbol, 21 September 2012
  4. Léo Baptistao: “Es un sueño hacer la pretemporada con el primer equipo” (Léo Baptistao: "It's a dream to make the pre-season with the first team") Archived 17 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Rayo Herald, 28 July 2011 (in Spanish)
  5. Léo Baptistao se rompe la clavícula en una acción fortuita (Léo Baptistão breaks collarbone in fortuitous action) Archived 17 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Rayo Herald, 11 August 2011 (in Spanish)
  6. Baptistao maintains Rayo's winning start; ESPN FC, 25 August 2012
  7. Atletico edge seven-goal thriller; ESPN FC, 16 September 2012
  8. Espanyol snatch five-goal thriller; ESPN FC, 21 October 2012
  9. Piti at the double to down Malaga; ESPN FC, 3 November 2012
  10. Celta stunned after Cabral red; ESPN FC, 10 November 2012
  11. Man Utd linked with Rayo youngster Leo Baptistao; ESPN FC, 9 January 2013
  12. Leo Baptistao, entre tres o cuatro semanas de baja (Leo Baptistao, out three to four weeks); Marca, 16 January 2013 (in Spanish)
  13. Leo Baptistao, en condiciones de reaparacer en el Pizjuán (Leo Baptistao, fit to play at the Pizjuán); Marca, 30 January 2013 (in Spanish)
  14. Rayo rock rivals Atletico Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine; ESPN FC, 10 February 2013
  15. Leo Baptistao se perderá lo que resta de temporada por lesión (Leo Baptistao will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to injury); Diario AS, 20 April 2013 (in Spanish)
  16. Baptistao, nuevo jugador rojiblanco (Baptistao, new red-and-white player) Archived 23 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine; Atlético Madrid, 3 June 2013 (in Spanish)
  17. Neymar ya hace de Messi (Neymar already plays as Messi); Marca, 21 August 2013 (in Spanish)
  18. Atlético back with a win at Zenit's expense; UEFA, 18 September 2013
  19. "Leo Baptistao ya es jugador del Betis" [Leo Baptistao is already a Betis player] (in Spanish). Real Betis. 11 January 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  20. "Europa League: Real Betis win 2–0 away to Sevilla in first leg of last-16 tie". Sky Sports. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  21. "Leo Baptistao nuevo jugador del Rayo" [Leo Baptistao new player of Rayo] (in Spanish). Rayo Vallecano. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  22. "Rayo Vallecano 2–1 Athletic Bilbao". ESPN FC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  23. "Baptistao at the double". ESPN FC. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  24. "¡Bienvenido Leo Baptistao!" [Welcome Leo Baptistao!] (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  25. "La Liga: Villarreal go top after beating Atletico Madrid". Sky Sports. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  26. "Baptistão powers Villarreal to Plzeň success". UEFA. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  27. "Leo Baptistao es el cuarto" [Leo Baptistao is the fourth one] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  28. Asmarat, Maria (18 May 2018). "Leo Baptistao logra su mejor registro goleador en Primera División" [Leo Baptistao scores career-best in Primera División] (in Spanish). Vavel. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  29. "Baptistao, traspassat al Wuhan Zall" [Baptistao transferred to Wuhan Zall] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  30. Léo Baptistão at ESPN FC
  31. "Léo Baptistão". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
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