Leonardo Zabala

Leonardo Yassir Zabala Zeballos (born 23 May 2003) is a Bolivian football player who plays as central defender for Brazilian club Santos and the Bolivia national team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zabala and the second or maternal family name is Zeballos.
Leonardo Zabala
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Yassir Zabala Zeballos
Date of birth (2003-05-23) 23 May 2003
Place of birth Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Santos
Number 26
Youth career
2007–2014 Academía Tahuichi
2014–2019 Calleja
2019–2021 Palmeiras
2021–2023 Santos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Santos 0 (0)
International career‡
2019 Bolivia U17 3 (0)
2020– Bolivia U20 3 (0)
2020– Bolivia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 October 2020
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2023

Club career

Zabala began playing football at the age of four with local side Academía Tahuichi.[1] In September 2019, after representing Club Calleja, he joined Palmeiras after standing out in a local tournament.[2][3]

On 23 September 2021, Zabala signed a contract with Santos until December 2022, being initially assigned to the under-20s.[4] On 7 June of the following year, he further extended his deal until December 2023.[5]

On 16 March 2023, after already being involved in first team trainings, Zabala further extended his link until the end of 2025.[6] Late in the month, he suffered a knee injury while on international duty, being sidelined for the remainder of the year.[7]

International career

On 9 October 2020, Zabala debuted for the Bolivia national team in a 5-0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to Brazil.[8][9]

Personal life

Zabala is the nephew of the Bolivian international footballer Wilder Zabala.[2]

Career statistics

International
As of 24 March 2023[10]
National team Year Competitive Friendly Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bolivia 2020100010
2023001010
Total 101020

References
  1. "Liderados por 'lenda' Miguelito, bolivianos constroem uma família no Santos" [Led by 'legendary' Miguelito, Bolivians build a family at Santos] (in Brazilian Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  2. "Leonardo Zabala, el boliviano que juega en Palmeiras y fue llamado a la selección" [Leonardo Zabala, the Bolivian who plays at Palmeiras and was called up to the national team] (in Spanish). El Deber. 10 August 2020.
  3. "Terceros, Uzeda y Zabala: el Proyecto Bolivia 2022 ya rinde sus frutos" [Terceros, Uzeda and Zabala: the Proyecto Bolivia 2022 already reaps its rewards] (in Spanish). Premium Sports. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. "Santos contrata jovem zagueiro boliviano que estava no Palmeiras" [Santos sign young Bolivian stopper who was at Palmeiras] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Lance!. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  5. "Santos assina novos contratos com bolivianos da base" [Santos sign new contracts with Bolivians from the youth setup] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Lance!. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  6. "Santos acerta renovação de contrato com Leonardo Zabala" [Santos agree contract renewal with Leonardo Zabala] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ge. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  7. "Zabala sofre lesão no ligamento cruzado e está fora da temporada" [Zabala suffers a cruciate ligament injury and is out for the season] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diário do Peixe. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  8. "Brazil vs. Bolivia - 10 October 2020 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
  9. "Farías: "podemos visualizar una buena sub 20 y con posibilidades reales de pelear un cupo al Mundial"" [Farías: "we can visualize a good under-20 and with real possibilities to fight for a place in the World Cup"] (in Spanish). Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  10. Leonardo Zabala at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
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