In the era of big-money football, transfer periods were always bustling with activity. However, things have now become somewhat quiet. In the past, a capable foreign player would be fiercely pursued by various clubs. Yet, it's surprising that the league's second-highest scorer is now struggling to find a new team!
People often say that in a game or sport, everyone only remembers who the champion is or who came first. If you ask about the runner-up or second place, many people will just shake their heads. Who was the top scorer in the 2024 season? Fans are well aware that it was Wu Lei from the Shanghai Port, who scored 34 goals. But if you ask fans who was second on the scoring charts, most probably wouldn't know, except for fans of Zhejiang and some from Shandong Luneng.
The second-place scorer in the 2024 Chinese Super League was Leonardo from Zhejiang, who scored a total of 21 goals, two of which were penalties, along with six assists. Leonardo's performance was truly remarkable. The more talented one is, the harder they work. During the off-season, Leonardo updated his social media with a photo of himself training, captioning it: "Always working hard!"
From the photo Leonardo shared, you could clearly see him sweating profusely. Even though he was wearing clothes, his eight-pack abs were still visible. Logically speaking, such a hardworking and capable player should be sought after by many clubs. However, surprisingly, Leonardo still doesn't know where he'll be playing next season.
Leonardo joined Shandong Luneng in 2021, at the end of the big-money football era, for a transfer fee of 2.07 million euros. Shandong Luneng spent 2.07 million euros to acquire Leonardo, but after playing for half a year, they loaned him out to Hebei China Fortune at the time. Since then, Leonardo has never played for Shandong Luneng again, instead living a life of being loaned out to different teams. These teams include Hebei, Ulsan Hyundai, Changchun Yatai, and Zhejiang.
Zhejiang was the longest team Leonardo played for, joining in July 2023 until the end of the 2024 season. After the loan period expired, Zhejiang did not choose to continue the loan. Leonardo's contract is still with Shandong Luneng. Logically, given Leonardo's achievements, Shandong Luneng could give him a chance to try out, but it seems they haven't even considered giving him a spot.
Shandong Luneng has been searching for good foreign players in recent seasons, but they don't seem very reliable, especially since Cuikexing's arrival, the players he brought in have made fans shake their heads. It's rumored that during the off-season, Shandong Luneng is once again looking for good foreign players. Leonardo is obviously a great player, as fans put it, Shandong Luneng is looking for treasure while already holding onto it.