Right-back on loan from Corinthians makes first appearance in 2026 | OneFootball

Loaned by Corinthians to Criciúma since August of last year, right-back Léo Mana made his first appearance on the pitch this season. At 22 years old, the player, developed in the youth ranks of the São Paulo club, lost space during coach Dorival Júnior’s stint and ended up being sent to the Santa Catarina side.

His 2026 debut for Criciúma came this Monday, in a 1-0 loss to Goiás at Serra Dourada Stadium, in the third round of Brazil’s Série B. The player was brought on in the 21st minute of the second half, replacing Jean Irmer, just a few minutes after the home team scored.

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During the time he was on the field, his performance was discreet. In 24 minutes, Léo Mana completed 17 of the 21 passes he attempted, reaching 81% accuracy. Defensively, he recorded one clearance and two ball recoveries. In attack, meanwhile, he did not complete any dribbles or take any shots. The data comes from the statistics platform Sofascore.

The right-back’s loan move to Criciúma was made official by Corinthians on August 14, 2025, with a contract valid until July 31 of this year. Even so, the player has still received few opportunities: so far, he has made only seven appearances in the Santa Catarina club’s shirt, including the most recent match.

Before this game, his last appearance had been on October 31 of last year, in a goalless draw against Ferroviária. Throughout the 2025 season, the defender totaled only 170 minutes on the pitch, all of them in Série B.

Even with limited use, Léo Mana has already won a title in 2026. In March, Criciúma won the Acesc Cup by beating Camboriú 8-7 on penalties. The tournament brought together teams eliminated in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Campeonato Catarinense, and guaranteed the champion a place in the 2027 Copa do Brasil.

A product of Corinthians’ youth academy, the full-back has played 112 matches across the Under-17 and Under-20 teams. His professional debut came in 2022, in a loss to América-MG in the Brazilian Championship. Since then, he has played 30 matches for Timão, 18 of them as a starter, without scoring any goals and with one assist to his name.

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