Gamble or bet?

Once upon a time, there were two scouts trying to look out for new players. They were searching for something that would have changed the history of their club, Gainare Tottori. Tottori and Vila Belmiro are so far way, both geographically and figuratively; yet, in those pitches, those two scouts found what they were looking for.

The two men were a former Japanese player, now turned into a general manager for Tottori, and a returning footballer, who was already involved with Gainare, but he spent one year away. The first was Masayuki Okano, the man who brought Japan to their first World Cup participation; the second was Fernandinho, who enjoyed a decent career in the top tier before picking Tottori as his next squad.

And what they found in Brazil? There was this kid, playing for the B-team of Santos. He wouldn’t have probably featured that much with the first squad, so he got convinced by the duo to join Gainare. His name was Leonardo Nascimento Lopes de Souza. Two years later, the young player might have taken the best decision of his career in moving to Japan.

Leonardo played for now just in J2 and J3, so he hasn’t yet debuted in the first division. Despite this, his moves, stats and goals seem to justify a future in the top tier as soon as possible. He played for defensive teams and fallen giants – like Gainare Tottori and Albirex Niigata, whose state right now isn’t the best of the history –, but he developed in a fine striker and enjoyed a nice time.

We couldn’t overlook his development. Since he was voted as the best signing in this year’s J2, we picked four goals to tell his story, but mostly why we expect him to shine again. He might be a gamble for a J1 team, but we could bet instead he could be a massive fit for any team looking for some goals and inventive offensive plays.

• Albirex Niigata v Tokushima Vortis | MD26, August 4th

For a stiker, it’s important to be constant: you can’t rely on some who scores a hat-trick, then goes for a drought of two or three months. Leonardo isn’t that kind of striker, actually he’s pretty regular: just look at his goal-per-minute stats.

In Tottori, he enjoyed one season of 24 goals in 31 matches: this means one goal every 112 minutes. Somehow, the Brazilian improved this stat in Niigata: he scored 28 goals in 38 games with Albirex, averaging one goal every 110 minutes in J2.  

If he keeps that kind of pace even in J1, he’ll get either to 100 goals in the shortest time ever or he’ll land a deal in Europe, because that kind of production wouldn’t go unnoticed.

• Kashiwa Reysol v Albirex Niigata | MD30, August 30th

There’s a solid link with Brazilians. Leonardo enjoyed his time in Tottori, where he formed a nice band with Junya Kato, but most of all Fernandinho and Vitor Gabriel. Okano is trying the same patter after Leonardo left, but with Adriel and Yuri the trick doesn’t seem to have worked with the same success.

This legacy with Brazilians prolonged itself in Niigata: the “Carioca colony” in the 2019 roster of Albirex was pretty nourished. Paulão, Samuel Santos, vice-captain Cauê, but most of all Francis and Silvinho, two players that are not the same of Leonardo: they had their adventures both in Brazil and abroad, but these two class ‘90 found a new home in Niigata.

The link is there, since both enjoyed a really good season in terms of stats, despite Albirex finished tenth on the table. And the plays between this Brazilian trio were among the most beautiful in this year of second tier. Plus, the link isn’t only on the pitch…

• Albirex Niigata v Kagoshima United | MD35, October 5th

You can easily say that the striker definitely seems in better shape in the second part of the season. This happened also in Tottori: Leonardo scored 9 goals in 14 games, but he then left his mark 15 times in the remaining 17 matches, bringing home three braces and one hat-trick (against Fukushima United FC).

The same happened at Albirex Niigata: six goals in the first part of the season, scoring just once in the first nine matches. Then something changed and the Brazilian player got more accustomed with J2 and new style of playing under the new manager, Kazuaki Yoshinaga. 22 goals in the second part of the season, a great impact and the capability of scoring those goals in 14 matches.

Five braces and one poker against Kagoshima United FC, who might have nightmares about Leonardo, since the Brazilian striker scored already eight times in four matches against the Kyushu-based side between J3 and J2.

• Albirex Niigata v V-Varen Nagasaki | MD42, November 24th

What impressed us the most about Leonardo is his ability of basically “create” goals. Not all the assists he got were clean to take an immediate shoot, most of passes don’t look so suitable for any striker. So taking advantage of those assists isn’t always easy; sometimes there isn’t even an assist… but Leonardo is capable of polishing those balls and find anyway a way to score (or at least be dangerous for the opponent).

Just look at this goal, the last of the season and the one which gifted Albirex no. 9 the title of top scorer in 2019 J2 League. The ball isn’t ready to be shoot immediately and the striker found himself surrounded by three opponents, so Leonardo realizes how the best option is to give the ball to the closest team-mate. But Arata Watanabe has already figured it out what Leonardo wants.

It’s a “pared” in Spanish term: the no. 9 just wants to leave the ball to release as well the pressure from defenders. When Watanabe has the ball for that fraction of time, opponents collapse on him and leave Leonardo alone; once the ball is back on his feet, he has the time to adjust the body and shoot towards goal, where he finds the goal no. 28 of his season.

It’s a beautiful goal because it hides cleverness and some crafty work.

What’s in the future of Leonardo? There are whispers of a possible gig in Saitama with Urawa Red Diamonds, which we wouldn’t like so much, because the confirm of Otsuki as a manager would push the Brazilian striker towards a team that doesn’t play a spectacular brand of football. But if you think about it, neither Gainare nor Albirex were exactly doing that, rather relying on the individual brilliance of their offensive lines.

Who knows if Leonardo will be able to sign for a J1 team and show the same sparkles also in the top tier. There are even rumors that the former Santos youngster would think of a Japanese naturalization: he’s a class ’97 and we doubt he might actually do that as he’s just 22 years-old, but what a nice story would be?