Sergio William Leal González (; born 25 September 1982 in

Rivera Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a street away from it, at the north end of Route 5. Together, they form an urban area of aro ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

) is a retired professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player, who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Club career

Leal emerged from the youth team of

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , en, First Division Professional League, local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional Association football, ...

club

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...

and started his professional career signing a contract with the club in 2001. In March 2003 he was loaned out to

Uruguayan Segunda División Segunda División Profesional is the second division of professional football in Uruguay, established in 1942. The league is sometimes referred to as ''Primera B''. Segunda División was first held in 1942 to replace amateur Divisional Intermed ...

club

Plaza Colonia Club Plaza Colonia de Deportes, or simply Plaza Colonia, is a Uruguayan professional football club from Colonia del Sacramento, that competes in the Uruguayan Primera Division. Founded in 1917, the club plays its home games at the 3,000 seater ...

, remaining there until the end of the season. During his spell with

, Leal played in 30 games and scored 13 goals. He then returned to

in 2004, featuring in 36 games for the ''Aurinegros'' and scoring 10 goals. In June 2005, Leal joined

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian club

Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A. is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, football team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica ...

on a season-long loan, and was part of the

Primera División Peruana Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

winning squad of 2005. Leal contributed to the success by scoring 11 goals in 39 games, a feat which earned him the honor of Peruvian Best Player of the Year. Seeking better economic and professional horizons, Leal announced his departure from

in April 2006, and signed with fellow

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

-based club

USMP USMP may stand for: * United States Mint Police The United States Mint Police (USMP) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities of the U.S. Mint. In 2004 they employed 376 police officers. History T ...

in October 2006. Early in January 2007, Leal was loaned out to

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

club

Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...

, playing in the

Primera Division de Argentina Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

on a six-month loan deal. The loan was extended for another six months at the end of May 2007, after the request of Gimnasia coach

Francisco Maturana Francisco Antonio Maturana García, also known as ''Pacho'' Maturana (born February 15, 1949) is a Colombian ex-football player and football manager. Under his management, Atletico Nacional was the first team of the nation to win the Copa Liber ...

, and once again for an additional year to include the 2008 Clausura, after the player publicly expressed his desire to stay at the club for another year. During his loan spell to

Gimnasia La Plata Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...

, Leal featured in 36 games and scored 2 goals. Then, in August 2008, he returned to

and signed with Primera División side

Danubio Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División. Founded in 1932, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity o ...

. In the summer of 2009, Leal moved to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

and signed a contract with Superleague club

Ergotelis The Gymnastics Club «Ergotelis» Heraklion Crete ( el, Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος «O Εργοτέλης» Ηρακλείου Κρήτης, Γ.Σ. Εργοτέλης), commonly known simply as Ergotelis ( el, Εργοτέλης), ...

. He stayed at the

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

club for three years, during which he made a total of 73 appearances and scored 18 goals. After the club's relegation in 2012, Leal had a short spell at

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n Liga Águila side

Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...

, before returning to the

and

for the 2013–2014 season, in which he won the Apertura Championship. In February 2014, Leal accepted a contract with

Chinese League One The Chinese Football Association China League (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (中甲联赛), is the second level of professional football in China. Above League One is the Chinese Super League. Prior to the formation of ...

side

Wuhan Zall Wuhan Yangtze River Football Club, formerly Wuhan Zall Football Club (), is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in ...

. He helped the club cling to a third-place finish at the end of the 2014 season, being the club top-scorer with 11 goals. Leal then left

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and returned to

and the

Greek Superleague The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

, signing a contract with

Kerkyra Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

. Leal did not manage to make an impact in his second tenure in the competition however, and after having played 9 matches with

, he terminated his contract and moved back to

, signing a contract with one of his earliest clubs,

. In May 2016, Leal won his third title, the Uruguayan Primera División Clausura Championship, after

defeated his former club

2–1. On 28 June 2016 and 4 years after his departure, Leal returned to

, this time playing in the

Gamma Ethniki The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece. History The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...

, the third tier of the Greek football league system, and was instantly named captain of the squad that would attempt to restore the club's former Superleague status. On 5 February 2017, Leal became second all-time top-scorer for the club in national divisions, surpassing former teammate

Mario Budimir Mario Budimir (born 12 February 1986) is a Croatian footballer who plays as a center forward. Club career Croatia Budimir started his professional career with HNK Hajduk Split, in the season 2004–05. In January 2005, he was loaned from H ...

's 24 goals. He finished the season with 12 goals in 23 matches, greatly contributing to the club's promotion as Champions of the 2016−17 Gamma Ethniki Group 4. As uncertainty struck

due to a string of unsuccessful contacts with potential investors to secure the funds required to form a professional Football Club department eligible to compete in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, Leal was eventually released from his contract with the club. After several weeks, he signed a one-year contract with his former club's local rival in the competition OFI, wishing to prolong his stay in

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

. He helped the club win the Division title, persevering after the departure of several key players due to the club's financial troubles, with 2 goals and six assists in 13 matches. After he was released from his contract by OFI, Leal decided to retire his playing career and pursue career in player management.

International career

Leal has played for the

Uruguay national under-17 football team The Uruguay national U-17 football team is the representative of Uruguay within all FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level. Uruguay has participated in six of 17 FIFA U-17 World Cup events. Results and fixtures ; Legend ...

in both the

1999 South American Under-17 Football Championship The 1999 South American Under-17 Football Championship was a football competition contested by all ten U-17 national football teams of CONMEBOL. The tournament was held in Uruguay between 4 and 21 March 1999, it was the 8th time the competition ...

and the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In the U-17 World Cup, Leal was fielded in a total of three games, playing against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

during the group stage, and vs.

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

during the quarterfinals, scoring two goals. In 2004, Leal was part of the

Uruguay Olympic football team Uruguay national under-23 football team (also known as Uruguay under-23, Uruguay U-23, Uruguay Olympic football team) represents Uruguay in under-23 international football competitions such as the Olympic Games and Pan American Games. The se ...

partaking at the 2004 South-American Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which was held in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. He played in two games under the instructions of coach

Juan Ramón Carrasco Juan Ramón Carrasco Torres (born 15 September 1956) is a Uruguayan football coach and former player. He is one of the players who had the most appearances, in different rosters, in Uruguay. Playing career Born in Sarandi del Yí, Uruguay, Ca ...

, a 0–3 loss vs.

on 7 January 2004 and a 1–1 draw against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

on 11 January 2004, but scored no goals.

Honours

Club

; Sporting Cristal *

Peruvian Primera División The Peru First Division (; ''First Division'') —known as Liga 1 Betsson for sponsorship reasons and officially as Liga 1 — is the top flight of association football in Peru. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since 1966, when ...

(1):

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

; Danubio *

(1): 2013–14 ''(Torneo Apertura)'' ; Plaza Colonia *

(1): 2015–16 ''(Torneo Clausura)'' ; Ergotelis *

(1): 2016–17 ; OFI *

(1): 2017–18

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leal, Sergio 1982 births Living people Uruguayan men's footballers Uruguay men's youth international footballers Men's association football forwards Uruguayan Primera División players Super League Greece players Argentine Primera División players Peruvian Primera División players Categoría Primera A players Peñarol players Plaza Colonia players Danubio F.C. players Sporting Cristal footballers Club Deportivo Universidad de San Martín de Porres players Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata footballers Ergotelis F.C. players Deportivo Cali footballers PAE Kerkyra players OFI Crete F.C. players China League One players Wuhan Yangtze River F.C. players Uruguayan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Peru Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Expatriate men's footballers in China Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in China People from Rivera Department