Biography
Dynamic Portuguese midfielder Leonardo da Silva Lopes joined City on the August 2019 transfer deadline day, reuniting with former Peterborough manager Grant McCann. Da Silva was introduced gently into the first team but found his form as City embarked on an October run of victories, by December he was a dominant force in midfield and a natural first XI choice, attracting attention from teams in MLS and closer to home. His form dipped badly after the COVID-19 lockdown but the relegation that followed didn’t chime with the young midfielder’s ambitions and he was not involved in 2020/21 pre-season training.
Born in Lisbon, Leonardo Adelino da Silva Lopes and his family moved to England as a teenager and he cut his teeth in the Peterborough United academy. At the tender age of 16 the Posh gave Leo his debut in an April 2015 League One match against Crawley Town and by the 2016/17 season he was a first team regular – Lopes scored his first senior goal in an August 2016 League Cup tie against Premier League side Swansea City. He made his 100th senior appearance for Peterborough against Bury in March 2018 while still only 19 years old and by the end of the 2017/18 season he had made 108 senior appearances and scored four goals.
In June 2018 Championship side Wigan Athletic prised Lopes away from Peterborough for a £1.5 million fee, but the move was not successful and after only three senior appearances for the Latics he spent the last three months of the 2018/19 season at League One side Gillingham, scoring once in 14 appearances. He signed for Hull City after serving just a year of his Wigan contract.
In September 2020 Leo left Hull City and signed for Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge, making his debut in October 2020 against KAS Eupen and scoring his first goal in February 2021 against Beveren. He quickly established himself as a first team regular in the Cercle side as they hovered around the middle reaches of the Belgian top flight – by June 2024 when his contract expired Leo had scored five goals in 120 appearances for the Green and Black.
Lopes won a solitary Portugal under-20 cap in March 2018 against Germany.
Details
Nationality: Portugal
Date/Place of Birth: 30 November 1998, Lisbon (Portugal)
Hull City First Game: 13 August 2019, Tranmere Rovers A (League Cup First Round), 20 years, 256 days old
Hull City Final Game: 22 July 2020, Cardiff City A (Championship), 21 years, 235 days old
Clubs
Peterborough United (2014-2018), Wigan Athletic (2018-2019), Gillingham (2019, loan), Hull City (2019-2020), Cercle Brugge (2020-2024)
Hull City Record
Career: 44 apps, 2 goals
Leonardo da Silva Lopes| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 34 (6) | 2 | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |