*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 November 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 February 2017
Leonardo Rodrigues Lima (born 2 August 1998), known as Léo Jabá, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for São Bernardo.
Club career
Corinthians
Born in São Paulo, Léo Jabá joined Corinthians' youth setup at the age of 11.[1] He made his unofficial first team debut in a friendly on 22 July 2015, as he entered in the second half of Corinthians' 1–0 victory against ABC in Natal.[2]
Léo Jabá scored his first professional goal on 29 March 2017, netting the opener in a 3–1 Campeonato Paulista home win over Linense.[5]
Akhmat Grozny
On 4 July 2017, Léo Jabá joined Akhmat Grozny of the Russian Premier League, for a rumoured fee of €2 million.[6] He made his debut abroad twelve days later, starting and scoring the winner in a 1–0 home success over Amkar Perm.[7]
Initially a first-choice, Léo Jabá lost his starting spot in April 2018, and finished the season with three goals in 25 appearances overall.
PAOK
On 20 June 2018, PAOK signed Léo Jabá on a five-year deal, for a €3.5 million fee.[8] He made his debut for his new side on 24 July, starting in a 2–1 home win over FC Basel, for the campaign's UEFA Champions League.
On 15 September 2018, Léo Jabá scored his first goal of the 2018–19 Super League season, netting his team's third in a 3–1 away win against OFI.[9] On 4 October, he scored a brace and provided two assists in a 4–1 away routing of BATE Borisov in the UEFA Europa League group stage.[10]
On 3 March 2019, Léo Jabá scored a crucial goal, despite his red card in the second half, sealing a 2–0 away win against rivals Panathinaikos in his club's effort to win the title undefeated.[11] Amidst interest from Porto, Newcastle United and Anderlecht,[12] he finished the season with seven goals in 39 appearances in all competitions.
In May 2020, after losing space under manager Abel Ferreira,[13] Léo Jabá suffered a knee injury,[14] missing out the remainder of the season.
Loan to Vasco da Gama
On 25 March 2021, Jabá was loaned to Vasco da Gama until December.[15] He was regularly used by the club during the year, but did not sign a permanent deal as the club announced his departure on 2 December.[16]
2022: return from loan
On 12 January 2022, Léo Jabá returned to action for PAOK after 488, scoring his team's second a 2–0 home win game against Panetolikos and knocking down manager Răzvan Lucescu in his celebration.[17] He played a further eleven matches during the remainder of the 2021–22 season, scoring another goal against Lamia on 6 March.
São Bernardo
On 8 December 2022, Léo Jabá returned to his home country and was announced as the new signing for Série C side São Bernardo.[18] He scored three goals in ten appearances during the 2023 Campeonato Paulista, as the club lifted the Taça Independência, given to the eliminated sides of the countryside.
Personal life
Léo Jabá's younger brother Leandro is also a footballer and a forward.[19] He played for several youth teams before moving to FK Pardubice in 2022.
^"Paulistão: São Bernardo anuncia Léo Jabá" [Paulistão: São Bernardo announce Léo Jabá] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Futebol Interior. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.