Leonardo Fabiano

A towering defender standing at six feet four inches, Leonardo Fabiano Silva e Silva, aka Leo, is one of the top football players in the Brazilian league. Having played his entire youth career at America Futebol Clube, it was natural that Leo would break into the first team. In 1999, he graduated from the youth academy and began playing for the first team at America Futebol Clube.

After three seasons at the club, playing in the lower divisions, Leo made his move to Brasiliense, another club in the Brazilian third division, but one that was a favourite for the title. Between 2002 and 2003, Leo was part of the team that went on to win the Brazilian Third Division title and the Brazilian State Championships.

His progress, after that point, was consistent but slow. He moved to EC Bahia in 2004 for a single season, followed by a one-year stint at Palmeiras. Technically, he was at Palmeiras for four seasons, however only one of those four years was actually spent at the club. After moving to Palmeiras in 2005, Leo moved to Portuguesa, on loan, in 2006. The following season, he went out on loan to Juventude and after a little time at the club, he moved to Al Wahda for the 2007-08 season.

It was after this loan spell that Leo's football-fortune began to change. He moved to Vitoria on loan and ended up in a team that won the Bahia State Championship title in 2008. That won him a big money move to Cruzeiro in 2009-10, where he went on to help the team win the Minas Gerais State Championship title in 2009.

After all that travelling and moving about, Leo signed a contract with Atletico Mineiro, one that will see him wave his magic wand with a club that is desperately looking for some silverware.