Léo, a star on and off the pitch, celebrates his birthday today | OneFootball

Guilherme Guarche, Memory Center

The most successful Santos player after the Pelé era celebrates his birthday today. Born in Campos dos Goytacazes on July 6, 1975, Leonardo Lourenço Bastos, the left-back known as the Warrior of Vila, turns a well-lived 51 years old. Winner of eight official titles with Santos from 2002 to 2012, he played 456 matches and scored 24 goals for Peixe, the club he represented in 2000/05, 2009/14, and 2016.

Interestingly, Léo is not the only great player in Santos history to have been born in this city in the northern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The first was his great-uncle Augusto Vieira de Oliveira, the late Tite, who shone in Santos’s attack in the 1950s and 1960s and passed away on August 26, 2004, in Santos. Interestingly, the two only met when Léo arrived at Vila Belmiro in 2000.

At Santos, a successful careerLéo began playing for the youth team of his hometown club, Americano Futebol Clube. In 1995, he was promoted to the professional squad, remaining with the “Glorious One of the Park” for two more years until being transferred, along with two other players, to União São João de Araras, in the interior of São Paulo state.

In 1999, he had a brief spell at Palmeiras, but he was not used by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and left the club without even making an official appearance. The following season, he transferred to Santos.

At Vila Belmiro, his career would reach a higher level and establish him wearing Santos’s number 3 shirt, eventually being regarded by Santos fans as one of the team’s best full-backs of all time.

At 25, he made his debut for the team coached by Antônio Gilberto Maniaes, Giba (who passed away in São Paulo on June 24, 2014). In a match at Vila Belmiro against the team that had previously rejected him, Palmeiras, Léo played in a lineup made up of Carlos Germano; Michel (Júlio César), Preto, Sangaletti (Valdo), and debutant Léo; Claudiomiro, Renato, Robert (Aílton), Caio Ribeiro; Edmundo and Dodô.

That Sunday, August 27, 2000, when only 7,315 paying fans watched the derby, Santos lost 3-2 (Edmundo scored Peixe’s goals), but in an interview after the match, Léo made a statement that pleased the supporters:As far as I’m concerned, I’ll shed my blood to make Santos champions.Despite being only 1.65m tall, the full-back made up for his short stature with tremendous grit and mobility. When he carried the ball past midfield and into the opposing defense, he became a giant in the eyes of his opponents.

Second generation of the Meninos da VilaThe great triumph came in 2002, when Santos, after 18 years without a major title, won the long-dreamed-of Brazilian Championship. With coach Emerson Leão in charge, the team became famous as the second generation of Meninos da Vila, as it featured many young players from the youth academy, such as stars Robinho and Diego.

The stage for this victory was Morumbi, on a summer Sunday, December 15, 2002, the day the Vila Belmiro side defeated archrival Corinthians and claimed its seventh Brazilian Championship title. Robinho, Elano, and Léo scored in the 3-2 win that secured Santos the beautiful trophy, now on display at the Memorial of Achievements.

It fell to the left-back to score the goal that sealed the result, in the 47th minute of the second half, on the very last play of the game. Robinho received a pass from Léo himself, fooled Kléber and Vampeta, the ball deflected to Léo, who had followed the move, and he cut inside, shifting the ball from his left foot to his right, and from the edge of the box unleashed a thunderous shot that made the stadium erupt and began the Santos celebrations.

The Brazilian champions lined up with Fábio Costa; Maurinho, Alex, André Luís, and Léo; Paulo Almeida, Renato, Elano, and Diego (Robert) (Michel); Robinho and William. The referee was Carlos Eugênio Simon.

In Santos’s eighth Brazilian title win, in 2004, Léo was the player with the most appearances in the campaign, with 43 matches. That year, repeating his feat from 2001 and 2003, he was voted the best left-back in the Brazilian Championship, winning Placar magazine’s Silver Ball award.

Standout at BenficaHis football caught the attention of the directors of Portuguese side Benfica, who signed him in mid-2005 for what was, at the time, the considerable fee of €250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand euros). His committed style of play won over Benfica supporters and earned their admiration. With the Portuguese team, he won the Dubai, Guadiana, and Guimarães tournaments.

He was named the best left-back in Portuguese football in three seasons: 2005/06, 2006/07, and 2007/08. At the beginning of 2009, he terminated his contract with the Eagles and returned to Brazil, signing a two-year deal with Santos, which was renewed in 2011.

More titles with SantosUpon returning to Vila Belmiro, he won six more significant titles: three São Paulo State Championships, in 2010, 2011, and 2012; a Copa do Brasil in 2010; a Recopa Sudamericana in 2012; and the most important of all, the 2011 Copa Libertadores de América, won with a 2-1 victory over Peñarol at Pacaembu on the night of June 22, 2011.

Of those years after his return, the most remarkable was 2010, as he was part of a team that played joyful, captivating, highly attacking football, led by Neymar, Paulo Henrique Ganso, and Robinho.

At Vila’s centenary, a half for each teamWhen Urbano Caldeira Stadium completed its first century of existence, Santos organized a celebratory match, invited Benfica, and took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Warrior of Vila, who said goodbye to the pitch by playing one half for each of the two great teams he represented in his career.Held on Saturday, October 8, 2016, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Santos’s goal scored at the end by center-back Noguera (with it, Peixe maintained the taboo of never having lost to the traditional Portuguese side).

Managed by coach Dorival Júnior, Santos played with Vanderlei, (John then João Paulo), Victor Ferraz (Daniel Guedes), Luiz Felipe (Noguera), David Braz (Lucas Veríssimo), and Zeca (Caju); Thiago Maia (Léo Cittadini) (Fernando Medeiros), Renato (Yuri) (Matheus Oliveira), Jean Mota (Paulinho then Joel), and Elano (Vecchio) (Walterson); Ricardo Oliveira (Giovanni then Rodrigão and Léo) and Copete (Rafael Longuine).

Léo was honored by Peixe with his name being given to the new structure at the Rei Pelé Training Center, focused on youth categories and women’s football.

The modern, multifunctional space is the result of a partnership with NR Sports, Lightwall, and ModuLight. The new building was named ‘Leonardo Lourenço Bastos’.

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