Leonardo de Sousa Pereira (born 3 February 1995), commonly known as Léo Ceará, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Kashima Antlers.
Club career Born in Fortaleza, Ceará, Léo Ceará joined Vitória's youth setup in 2011, from São Francisco-BA. He made his first team debut on 23 January 2014, coming on as a late substitute for Alan Pinheiro in a 3–1 away win against Confiança, for the year's Copa do Nordeste.
On 12 January 2016, after being rarely used, Léo Ceará was loaned to J3 League club FC Ryukyu for the season. Upon returning, he joined Campinense also in a temporary deal in February 2017, but moved to Confiança in May to play in the Série C.
Léo Ceará's loan with Confiança was renewed for a further year on 27 December 2017, and he subsequently scored 16 goals in all competitions for the club before being recalled by Vitória in August 2018.
Léo Ceará made his Série A debut on 23 August 2018, starting in a 0–1 away loss against Flamengo. He scored his first goal in the category three days later, netting the winner in a 1–0 home success over Atlético Mineiro, and subsequently renewed his contract until 2020 on the 28th.
On 15 May 2019, after the arrival of Neto Baiano, Léo Ceará was loaned to fellow Série B side CRB until December. He returned to Vitória in January 2020 after scoring 14 league goals for CRB, being the club's top goalscorer and the third-best overall, but was demoted to the under-23 squad after failing to agree new terms over a new contract.
Léo Ceará was only included back at Vitória's main squad in August 2020.
Yokohama F. Marinos announced on 23 January 2021 that Léo Ceará will be joining the club on a full transfer pending a medical to be performed upon arrival Japan (delayed for an indefinite period due to coronavirus immigration restrictions). He was included in the Vitória squad for the last time on 26 January 2021. Ceará left the club in 2022 after two years at Yokohama F. Marinos.
On 27 December 2022, Ceará officially transferred to Cerezo Osaka for the upcoming 2023 season.
After two seasons at Cerezo, on 6 January 2025 it was announced that Ceará would be transferring to fellow J1 League club Kashima Antlers for the 2025 season.
Career statistics
ClubSeasonLeagueState leagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVitória2014Série A00—00——1Appearance(s) in Copa do Nordeste0102015Série B400000——00402018Série A175—————1752019Série B109210——71183202033160042——524220Total55219252——1338228FC Ryukyu (loan)2016J.League Data SiteJ3 League232—————232Campinense (loan)2017Série D0063———3194Confiança (loan)2017Série C101—————101201817911400——633416Total501217700——947623CRB (loan)2019Série B3214—————3214Yokohama F. Marinos2021J1 League2710—1142——321320223111—212242—3916Total9035—326442—10343Cerezo Osaka2023J1 League3312—3250——411420243821—1030——4221Total7133—4280——8335Kashima Antlers2025J1 League3421—0010——35212026J1 100 Year Vision League2010—0000——20102026–27J1 League12—000000—12Total5533—0010——5633Career total32113526912615442227400162
Honours Club Yokohama F. Marinos J1 League: 2022
Kashima Antlers J1 League: 2025
Individual J1 League Monthly MVP: February/March 2025, J.League Top Scorer: 2025 J.League Best XI: 2025 J1 100 Year Vision League Top Scorer: 2026 J1 100 Year Vision League Regional Round East Best Eleven: 2026
References
External links