São Paulo’s backup keeper says goodbye on social media | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Leandro announced this Sunday, via social media, his farewell to São Paulo. With a contract valid until the end of this season, the 21-year-old player will not remain with the club in 2026. He had been defending the Tricolor since 2019, when he joined the youth categories.

In his farewell message, Leandro thanked his teammates, the coaching staff, and the club professionals who were part of his journey. The goalkeeper also emphasized the pride of having worn the São Paulo jersey.

“Wearing this jersey was an immense honor. Every training session, every game, every sacrifice, and every victory had a special meaning. None of this would have been possible without the support of so many people who were part of this journey, teammates, coaching staff, club professionals, and everyone working behind the scenes with dedication. I leave with the certainty that I gave my best and with immense pride in having defended such a giant and historic club,” he commented.

  See this photo on Instagram   A post shared by Leandro Mathias (@1eandro_)

Leandro's Journey at São Paulo

Signed in 2019 to play for the under-15 team, Leandro quickly advanced through the categories and came to be considered an “advanced” athlete for his age. Still at 15, he was already part of the under-17 squad.

In 2020, Leandro was part of the squad that won the under-17 Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brasil in the category, and he was also called up for the Brazilian under-17 national team. His performance in national competitions solidified his presence at the club and led him, in the following years, to the under-20 team, where he accumulated more playing time and visibility.

See also: Transfer Market: follow the latest news from São Paulo

One of the most remarkable episodes of his journey occurred in September 2022, when São Paulo thrashed Penapolense 6-0 in the under-20 Paulista Championship. Early in the match, Leandro caught attention by scoring a free-kick goal. That same year, still linked to the youth categories, the goalkeeper renewed his contract with the club until the end of 2025, being internally regarded as a promising talent.

Despite the consecutive seasons at the club and training at the Barra Funda CT, Leandro did not get opportunities in the professional team. Thus, he leaves São Paulo without having officially played for the professional squad.

Although he did not debut for the main team, Leandro was listed for nine matches of the professional squad in 2025. The last of them was in the 6-0 defeat against Fluminense at Maracanã, where he was part of the group as the third goalkeeper.

Check out Leandro's full post:

With eternal gratitude and a heart full of emotions, I say goodbye to São Paulo Futebol Clube after 7 years. These were years that deeply marked my life, filled with dreams, challenges, learnings, and achievements that I will carry with me forever. Here I grew as an athlete, as a professional, and especially as a person.

Wearing this jersey was an immense honor. Every training session, every game, every sacrifice, and every victory had a special meaning. None of this would have been possible without the support of so many people who were part of this journey, teammates, coaching staff, club professionals, and everyone working behind the scenes with dedication.

I leave with the certainty that I gave my best and with immense pride in having defended such a giant and historic club.

São Paulo Futebol Clube will forever be in my heart and in my history. Thank you for everything. See you soon!

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