André Leão

Early years

Leão was born in Freamunde. After a brief spell with FC Porto's reserves, he made his professional debut at Aveiro's S.C. Beira-Mar, his Primeira Liga debut coming on 17 September 2006 in a 2–0 home win against C.F. Estrela da Amadora where he came on as a 76th-minute substitute. Leão was used regularly during that season, but only won one of the matches in which he appeared and his club was relegated.

CFR Cluj and Paços

Leão then moved to Romania with CFR Cluj, joining a host of compatriots and winning the Liga I championship in his debut campaign, appearing in 15 games. However, he would be rarely used during his two-and-a-half-year spell, and returned to his country in the late hours of the January 2010 transfer window, joining F.C. Paços de Ferreira. In the 2010 off-season, Swansea City of the Football League Championship made an offer to sign Leão, but nothing came of it. He started in all his 29 league appearances in 2012–13 (two goals), as Paços finished a best-ever third and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever.

Valladolid

On 12 June 2014, aged 29, Leão signed a three-year contract with Spanish club Real Valladolid. He made his competitive debut on 23 August, playing the 90 minutes in a 2–1 Segunda División home defeat of RCD Mallorca. Leão was an undisputed starter in a three-year stint at the Estadio José Zorrilla, taking part in 107 matches in all competitions.

Paços return

On 13 July…

CFR Cluj

Liga I: 2007–08, 2009–10 Cupa României: 2007–08, 2008–09 Supercupa României: 2009 Paços Ferreira

LigaPro: 2018–19