Legend Léo made his Santos debut 25 years ago | OneFootball

On August 27, 2000, at Vila Belmiro, Leonardo Lourenço Bastos made his debut for Santos. At 25 years old, Léo was not lucky in his first game and saw Peixe lose to Palmeiras 3-2 in the first phase of the 2000 João Havelange Cup. However, even starting with a defeat, the left-back became one of the greatest idols in the history of the Alvinegro Praiano.

With two stints at the team, the “Warrior of Vila” etched his name in Santos' history, becoming the most successful player in the club's post-Pelé era and the tenth athlete to wear the Alvinegro Praiano jersey the most.

Léo's first stint at Santos was from 2000 to 2004. During this period, the left-back became an undisputed starter in the “Meninos da Vila” teams, led by Emerson Leão and Vanderlei Luxemburgo, winning the Brazilian Championships in 2002 and 2004.

With his success at Peixe, Léo was sold to Benfica in 2005. In Portugal, he repeated his individual success, being considered the best left-back of the century in Portuguese football.

In 2009, at 34 years old, Léo returned to Santos. Once again in a squad with youth players taking the lead, the Warrior of Vila added experience to the team and won six titles in five seasons: three Paulista Championships (2010, 2011, and 2012), one Copa do Brasil (2010), one Recopa Sudamericana (2012), and one Libertadores in 2011 – 48 years after Peixe's last continental triumph.

Léo announced his retirement after the end of the 2014 Paulistão, at 38 years old. In his journey with Santos, he played 456 games, won eight titles, and left his name in Peixe's history.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.