Leonardo "Leo" Gabriel Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [leoˈnaɾðo ˈswaɾes]; born on 30 March 1996) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX team Club Universidad Nacional.

Leo Suárez
Suárez with Real Valladolid in 2018
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Gabriel Suárez
Date of birth (1996-03-30) 30 March 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth San Martín, Argentina
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
UNAM
Youth career
2000–2002 Villa Esperanza
2002–2014 Boca Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Boca Juniors 2 (0)
2015–2018 Villarreal B 79 (12)
2016–2020 Villarreal 9 (1)
2018Real Valladolid (loan) 12 (2)
2019Mallorca (loan) 16 (1)
2020–2024 América 74 (10)
2022Santos Laguna (loan) 31 (8)
2024– UNAM 11 (3)
International career
2011 Argentina U15 5 (1)
2013 Argentina U17 11 (3)
2015 Argentina U20 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 December 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 December 2019

Club career edit

Boca Juniors edit

Born in General San Martín Partido, Suárez joined Boca Juniors' youth setup in 2002, aged six, after starting it out at lowly Villa Esperanza.[1] He made his first team debut on 9 November 2014, coming on as a second half substitute for Federico Carrizo in a 2–0 home win against Club Atlético Tigre for the Primera División championship.[2]

Villarreal edit

On 10 December 2014 Suárez moved to Villarreal CF, after agreeing to a 5+12-year deal for a 2million fee.[3][4] He was assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B.

Suárez made his La Liga debut on 17 December 2016 as an 88th-minute substitute for Alexandre Pato in a 3–1 victory over Sporting de Gijón.[5]

Valladolid (loan) edit

On 19 August 2018, Suárez was loaned to fellow top division side Real Valladolid, for one year. He recently scored the winner in a 1–0 victory over his parent club in La Liga.[6]

Mallorca (loan) edit

In January 2019, Suárez was loaned to RCD Mallorca until the end of the season.[7]

Club America edit

On 12 January 2020 Suárez signed for Liga MX side Club America ending his five-year spell in Europe.[8]

International career edit

A regular name in Argentina's youth squads, Suárez was called up by under-20s for the 2015 South American Youth Football Championship, held in Uruguay.[9] He made his debut in the competition on 18 January, coming on as a second-half substitute for Ángel Correa in a 6–2 routing over Peru; he also scored the fifth and assisted Giovanni Simeone in the sixth.[10]

Four days later, Suárez started in a 3–0 win against Bolivia, and provided the assist in all of the three goals.[11] He finished the tournament with three appearances and four assists, as his side were crowned champions.

Honours edit

América

Argentina U20

References edit

  1. ^ "Futuro AzulyOro: Te presentamos a Leonardo Suárez" [AzulyOro future: We present you Leonardo Suárez] (in Spanish). Azul y Oro. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Boca derrotó a Tigre con un doblete de Emmanuel Gigliotti" [Boca defeated Tigre with a brace from Emmanuel Gigliotti] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Fichaje con futuro" [Signing with future] (in Spanish). Villarreal's official website. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Oficial: Leo Suárez firma hasta 2020 y se incorpora en febrero" [Official: Leo Suárez signs until 2020 and joins in February] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 17 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Leo Suárez, talento para el centro del campo" [Leo Suárez, talent for the midfield] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Leo Suárez firma por el RCD Mallorca" [Leo Suárez signs for RCD Mallorca] (in Spanish). RCD Mallorca. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Club América signs striker Leonardo Suárez". VAVEL.com. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Humberto Grondona dio la lista de 23 convocados para el Sudamericano" [Humberto Grondona unveiled the list of 23-man called up for the South American] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  10. ^ "El amarillo Leo Suárez marca para Argentina" [Amarillo Leo Suárez scores for Argentina] (in Spanish). El Periódico Mediterráneo. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Argentina fue demasiado para Bolivia y se clasificó al hexagonal" [Argentina was too much for Bolivia and was classified to the last six] (in Spanish). Télam. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  12. ^ Hernandez, Cesar (18 December 2023). "Club América extends Liga MX record to 14 titles after defeating Tigres". ESPN. Retrieved 19 December 2023.

External links edit