| Leonai | |
| Fullname: | Leonai Souza de Almeida |
| Birth Date: | 28 April 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Pontal, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.74m |
| Currentclub: | Barcelona SC (on loan from Plaza Colonia) |
| Clubnumber: | 22 |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthclubs1: | Olé Brasil |
| Years1: | 2016 |
| Clubs1: | Jaboticabal |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2017 |
| Clubs2: | Sete de Dourados |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2017 |
| Clubs3: | Taquaritinga |
| Caps3: | 16 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs4: | Comercial-SP |
| Caps4: | 38 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2020– |
| Clubs5: | Plaza Colonia |
| Caps5: | 60 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2022– |
| Clubs6: | → Barcelona SC (loan) |
| Caps6: | 3 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 19:08, 23 March 2022 (UTC) |
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, on loan from Uruguayan club Plaza Colonia.
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 .[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]
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]
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]
| 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[13] | Paulista 2ª Divisão | — | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0 | |||||
| 2019 | Paulista A3 | — | 16 | 1 | — | — | 20[14] | 0 | 36 | 1 | |||||
| Total | — | 38 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 0 | 58 | 1 | ||||||
| Plaza Colonia | 2020 | Primera División | 31 | 0 | — | — | 3[15] | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 29 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||||||
| Total | 60 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 0 | — | 63 | 1 | ||||||
| Barcelona SC | 2022 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | — | — | 5[16] | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 63 | 1 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 145 | 3 | |||