Leonardo "Léo" Cittadini (born 27 February 1994) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port, on loan from Bahia.
 Léo Cittadini in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonardo Cittadini | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Rio Claro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Shanghai Port (on loan from Bahia) | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Guarani | ||
| 2012–2013 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2012 | Guarani | 4 | (0) |
| 2013–2018 | Santos | 62 | (1) |
| 2014 | → Ponte Preta (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2019–2023 | Athletico Paranaense | 122 | (15) |
| 2023– | Bahia | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Shanghai Port (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:10, 27 February 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editGuarani
editBorn in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Cittadini started his career at Guarani, and was promoted to first team in 2010, under the management of Vágner Mancini.[1] He made his first team debut on 30 March 2011, against Horizonte, for the season's Copa do Brasil.[2] He was handed a starting spot on 1 May, against São José, providing an assist for Léo Paraíba's goal.[3]
However, in December, Cittadini had altercations with his club, claiming late payment of wages.[4] In March 2012, half of the player's rights was sold to an agent, due to problems in the negotiation of a contract renewal.[5]
Santos
edit
On 7 July 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Santos, being assigned to youth team.[6] There, he won the 2012 Campeonato Paulista U-20, beating São Paulo in the finals,[7] and also won the 2013 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior.[8]
On 3 June 2013, he was promoted to Santos' first team alongside Walace.[9] He made his debut on the 12th, replacing Pedro Castro in the 70th minute of a 1-0 home win against Atlético Mineiro.[10]
On 24 July 2013, Cittadini scored his first professional goal, the last of a 2–0 away win against CRAC for the season's Copa do Brasil.[11]
Ponte Preta (loan)
editIn April 2014 Cittadini joined Guarani's fierce rivals Ponte Preta on loan until the end of the season.[12] He made his debut for the club on the 19th, playing the entire second half in a 1–1 home draw against Icasa.
On 7 October Cittadini's loan was cancelled, and he subsequently returned to Santos.[13]
Return from loan
editAfter his return from loan, Cittadini was not utilized by managers Enderson Moreira and Marcelo Fernandes. After the arrival of Dorival Júnior he returned to action, being converted to a defensive midfielder in the 2016 season; he also rejected a loan move to Chievo in the process.[14]
On 10 April 2016 Cittadini scored his first goal after his return, netting his team's first in a 2–1 Campeonato Paulista home win against Audax.[15] He was mainly used as a replacement to Lucas Lima afterwards, becoming a starter during the latter's participation in Copa América Centenario. On 6 November, after nearly two months without playing a single minute, he came off the bench to provide two assists in Santos' 2–1 away win against former club Ponte Preta; he ended up crying after the match was over.[16]
Cittadini made his Copa Libertadores debut on 18 May 2017, coming on as a late substitute for Vitor Bueno in a 1–1 away draw against The Strongest. During the 2018 campaign, under new manager Jair Ventura, he overtook veterans Emiliano Vecchio and Renato and became a regular starter for the side. Despite Vecchio left the club, he lost the starting spot to Diego Pituca and new signing Carlos Sánchez, being completely ostracized by new manager Cuca after refusing a contract renewal.
Athletico Paranaense
edit
On 7 December 2018, Cittadini signed a three-year contract with Athletico Paranaense, effective as of the following 1 January.[17] Under manager Tiago Nunes, he became an important unit in the club's midfield, scoring a career-best six goals in the season.[18]
Bahia
editOn 28 July 2023, Cittadini signed for Bahia on a two-year contract with the option of a further year.[19]
Shanghai Port (loan)
editOn 27 February 2024, Cittadini joined Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port on loan.[20]
Career statistics
edit- As of 7 December 2023[21]
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Guarani | 2011 | Série B | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Santos | 2013 | Série A | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2016 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||||
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 44 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 75 | 2 | |||
| Ponte Preta (loan) | 2014 | Série B | 11 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Athletico Paranaense | 2019 | Série A | 21 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 33 | 6 |
| 2020 | 31 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 46 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 12[d] | 0 | — | 53 | 1 | |||
| 2022 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 106 | 10 | 23 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 175 | 16 | ||
| Bahia | 2023 | Série A | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 168 | 10 | 45 | 6 | 29 | 2 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 276 | 18 | ||
- ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana
- ^ Appearance(s) in Supercopa do Brasil
- ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
Honours
edit- Santos
- Athletico Paranaense
References
edit- ^ "Exceção, nova promessa recebe atenção especial no Guarani" [Exception, new pearl receives special focus in Guarani]. Terra Esportes. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Guarani 2 x 2 Horizonte - Zebra dá as caras e Bugre cai em casa" [Guarani 2–2 Horizonte — Zebra shows up and Bugre fell in home] (in Portuguese). Futebol Interior. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "São José 2 x 3 Guarani - Bugre vira no Vale do Paraíba e está na final!" [São José 2–3 Guarani — Bugre comebacks in Vale do Paraíba and is in final!] (in Portuguese). Futebol Interior. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Léo Citadini entra na Justiça contra o Guarani, mas presidente garante permanência" [Léo Citadini goes to court against Guarani, but president assures his permanence] (in Portuguese). Milton Neves. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Guarani não consegue acordo com Léo Cittadini e oficializa sua venda" (in Portuguese). Lance!. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Santos acerta com Leonardo Cittadini, revelação do Bugre" [Santos signs Leonardo Cittadini, Bugre's pearl] (in Portuguese). Lance!. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Santos vence o São Paulo e é campeão paulista sub-20" [Santos defeats São Paulo and is the Paulista under-20's champion]. Lance!. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Santos domina Goiás e é campeão da Copa SP após 28 anos de jejum" [Santos dominates Goiás and is Copa SP's champion after 28 years]. Terra Esportes.
- ^ "Claudinei Oliveira promove Léo Cittadini e Walace e conta com retorno de Geuvânio" [Claudinei Oliveira promotes Léo Cittadini and Walace and counts with Geuvânio's return]. Santos FC. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
- ^ "Com gol solitário de Cícero, Santos vence Atlético Mineiro e deixa o Z-4" [With Cícero's lone goal, Santos defeats Atlético Mineiro and leaves Z-4]. Globo Esporte. 12 June 2013.
- ^ "Garotos brilham, Santos derrota Crac e se classifica para as oitavas de final" [Boys shine, Santos defeats Crac and qualifies for round of 32] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ "Cria do Guarani, meia Léo Cittadini deixa o Santos e acerta com a Ponte" [Guarani's youth graduate, midfielder Léo Cittadini leaves Santos and signs with Ponte] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Santos e Ponte Preta devolvem promessas" [Santos and Ponte send back youth prospects] (in Portuguese). Band Esporte. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Não à Europa e nova posição: como Cittadini 'ressurge' no Santos" [No to Europe and new position: how Cittadini 'rebirths' at Santos] (in Portuguese). Lance!. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Ronaldo Mendes entra, marca logo depois e garante virada do Santos sobre o Audax" [Ronaldo Mendes comes in, scores afterwards and assures Santos' comeback over Audax] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Herói da virada do Santos, Cittadini sai do banco e chora ao final" [Hero of Santos' comeback, Cittadini leaves the bench and cries at the end] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ^ "De saída do Santos, Léo Cittadini acerta pré-contrato com Atlético-PR" [Leaving Santos, Léo Cittadini signs pre-contract with Atlético-PR] (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Léo Cittadini cresce no Athletico e supera número de jogos disputados no Santos" [Léo Cittadini grows at Athletico and overcomes number of played matches at Santos] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "Léo Cittadini assina contrato por dois anos com o Bahia; veja detalhes". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 28 July 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "官方：上海海港租借签下巴西中场奇塔迪尼" (in Chinese). dongqiudi. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Léo Cittadini at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
External links
edit- Santos official profile (in Portuguese)
- Léo Cittadini at Soccerway