Leo Jaba

Leonardo Rodrigues Lima (born 2 August 1998), known as Leo Jaba, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or a left οr right winger for Vasco da Gama, on loan from PAOK.

Club Career

Early career

Born on August 2, 1998 in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, Leo Jaba (full name Leonardo Rodrigues Lima) stands at 1.78 meters tall, capable of competing up front or in his preferred position on the left wing. Technically gifted, Jaba is at his best when taking on opponents in 1-on-1 situations, beating his markers with fantastic shows of skill. Jaba joined Corinthians when he was 11 years old, after a brief stint at rival Sao Paulo.

Immediately from a young age, Jaba stood out with his qualities, impressing with the Sao Paulo and Corinthians youth-set up. The young forward makes life difficult for opposing players when in possession of the ball, able to turn on the gas, display silky moves and compete with a mature calmness. When Brazil played against Singapore at an under 15's tournament, Singaporean coach Nazir Nasir was taken aback by Jaba's performance, revealing that he has everything required to be a great footballer.

He was part of the 2016 Copa Sao Paulo de Futebol Junior and 2016 U20 Campeonato Brasileiro squads that ended up as runner up in both tournaments.

Corinthians

Jaba made his unofficial professional debut in a friendly on 22 July 2015, as he entered in the second half of Corinthians' 1–0 victory against ABC at Natal.

He made his official debut as a substitute during the second half of a 1–0 against Internacional on November 21.

Akhmat Grozny

Having attracted plenty of interest from Europe, Jaba opted to join Akhmat Grozny of the Russian Premier League in summer 2017, costing the Chechnya club a grand total of €2.5 million. While not setting the world on fire, he did make an impression in Russia, netting three goals in 24 championship matches. In comparison to his t

This page also has a version in other languages :  Лео Жаба (russian)