Léo Moura

Lore & Background

Léo Moura began his career at the youth division of Linhares as a midfielder, then moved to Botafogo's youth system. He made his professional debut for Botafogo in 1998, then played for Belgian side Germinal Beerschot and Dutch second-division club ADO Den Haag, where he adapted to right-back. He returned to Botafogo in 2001, later moving to Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Fluminense, Sporting Braga, Flamengo, FC Goa, Metropolitano, Santa Cruz, Grêmio, and Botafogo-PB. He is one of the few players to represent all four big Rio de Janeiro teams: Botafogo, Vasco da Gama, Fluminense, and Flamengo.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Arena do Grêmio hummed their low electric note as the second half ticked past the sixty-minute mark. The score was level, the crowd a restless sea of tricolor scarves. Moura received the ball on the right, shoulder-to-shoulder with the full-back who had been shadowing him for thirty minutes. He feinted a pass to the striker, let the defender commit half a step, then cut inside. The crowd's murmur swelled. One touch, two, the defender lunged and missed. Moura was in the channel now, the goal opening like a door. He didn't shoot. He laid it off, one-touch, to the overlapping full-back arriving from behind. The cross found the striker's head. The net rippled. The Arena detonated. Moura was already jogging back, hands on his hips, as if to say: that was the easy part.

Reader's Guide

Léo Moura is a right-back who also played as a midfielder. His most successful period was at Flamengo, where he won the 2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the 2006 and 2013 Copa do Brasil, and multiple Campeonato Carioca titles. He was named to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year in 2007 and 2008. His biggest title was the 2017 Copa Libertadores with Grêmio.

Did You Know?

• Léo Moura played for all four major Rio de Janeiro clubs: Botafogo, Vasco da Gama, Fluminense, and Flamengo.
• He won the Bola de Prata award as best right-back in 2007 and 2008.
• He earned one cap for Brazil, in a friendly against Ireland in 2008.
• He was captain of Flamengo after goalkeeper Bruno was suspected of murder.