Leonardo Caetano Silva (born 5 December 1998), commonly known as Leozinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Athletico Paranaense. He is a former futsal player who played as a winger.
Early life Born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Leozinho began his career with several futsal sides in his hometown. In 2016, he spent a trial period at Flamengo and was approved at Tigres do Brasil, but the move fell through. In the beginning of 2017, he was approved on a trial at Magnus Futsal.
Futsal career After making his senior debut with Magnus in the later months of 2017, Leozinho started to feature regularly for the club in the following years, being named Best Young Player in the World by Futsal Awards in 2019 and 2020. He also debuted for the Brazil national futsal team in 2018 and scored at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
In July 2022, Leozinho was separated from the squad, later having his contract rescinded on 5 August. In November, he announced in a podcast that he would leave futsal to play 11-a-side football.
Football career Shortly after announcing his departure from futsal, Leozinho agreed to a deal with Mexican side Atlético San Luis, but the move fell through. On 13 February 2023, he was announced at Hercílio Luz.
Leozinho scored his first goal in football on 7 June 2023, netting the opener in a 2–2 Série D home draw against Caxias. He left Hercílio on 3 November, after three goals in 22 matches.
In February 2024, Leozinho signed a one-year contract with Série B side Ituano, after a trial period. After featuring in just one match in the 2024 Campeonato Paulista as the club suffered relegation, he subsequently started to feature more regularly under new head coach Alberto Valentim, and scored his first goal for the club on 7 September, netting the winner in a 3–2 home success over Mirassol.
On 8 January 2025, Leozinho joined Athletico Paranaense on a two-year contract and helped the Furacão return to the Série A after an unfortunate relegation.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueState LeagueNational CupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHercílio Luz2023Série D13350——40223Ituano2024Série B3021010——322Athletico Paranaense2025Série B1218140——242Career total556141500040787
Honours Magnus Futsal : 2017 Intercontinental Futsal Cup: 2018, 2019 Liga Nacional de Futsal: 2020 Campeonato Paulista de Futsal: 2020, 2021 Supercopa do Brasil de Futsal: 2021 Taça Brasil de Futsal: 2021
Brazil U20 South American U-20 Futsal Championship: 2018
Individual Futsal Awards Best Young Player in the World: 2019, 2020
References