For those who play FIFA.....
Name: Leandro
Age: 19
Club: Palmeiras (on-loan from Gremio)
Position: Forward
Nationality: Brazilian
He is yet to reach his 20th birthday, yet Palmeiras forward Leandro has already experienced highs and lows that some players will avoid throughout the entirety of their career. With his reputation having lurched between "little Neymar" and "unwanted flop" statuses since his 2011 debut, the Brasilia-born forward continues to divide opinion. For the moment, though, having scored on his international debut for Brazil, against Bolivia, last weekend, Leandro's status is very much on the rise.
Part of the problem for the striker, born Weverson Leandro Oliveira Moura, has been the speed and confidence with which he arrived on the first-team scene. In 2010, he was playing for small side SE Gama in his home state of Distrito Federal. However, following an encounter with Brasileirao giants Gremio at the 2010 Copa Santiago youth competition, he was offered the chance of a loan move to the Rio Grande do Sul side. Just months later, with a permanent contract already in hand, he was making his debut for the club's first-team.
The state championships are not to everybody's preference, but with Gremio also competing in the Copa Libertadores, it was in local competition that Leandro was handed his opportunity. While he may have been an unknown entity initially, his seven goals in just 12 appearances pushed him right to the forefront of the public imagination. Gremio now had their own lightening fast and highly-skilled forward to take on the best in the country, and Leandro quickly became an automatic starter when it came to the opening of the national league season in June.
Given his designated position on the pitch and a shared mohawk hairstyle with Neymar, the comparisons were inevitable. Neymarzinho (Little Neymar) and Neymar do Sul (Neymar of the South) were names frequently used in connection with the Gremio starlet, with expectation as to his future achievements growing by the day. It all, though, proved too much for the player himself and, in 22 league appearances in 2011, he would notch just a solitary goal for the Tricolor cause. A brief return to youth football would follow but, despite success at that level, a first-team return for the 2012 state championship proved a disappointing and fruitless affair.
A year on from his bright emergence onto the scene and Leandro's status as one of the brightest young talents in Brazil was in tatters. Just one senior goal in 31 appearances left many questioning his worth and, when he was arrested in April 2012 for driving with a false license, there were many who were quick to suggest that the 18-year-old was in the process of dismantling the career that he had only just begun to build. However, the arrival of experienced coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo at the Stadio Olimpico offered Leandro a shot at redemption and, while not hitting the heights of his initial arrival on the scene, he was able to at least return to some sort of form in the 2012 league season.
A loss of form at an early age can destroy a career, so it is to Leandro's credit that he has fought back stronger. That credit, though, should be extended to Luxemburgo. The former Real Madrid manager was firm with the youngster from the outset, describing the driving license incident as "a giant mess" and later commenting in an overtly critical tone that Leandro "prefers beautiful play to efficiency". The tough love, though, proved effective as his forward scored seven important league goals to help Gremio to Libertadores qualification last campaign.
With that success, though, Gremio's aspirations for 2012 became bigger and forwards of the likes of Welliton, Eduardo Vargas and Hernan Barcos all began to arrive in Porto Alegre ahead of the shot at Libertadores glory. Leandro was quickly becoming surplus to requirements and, having been involved in Brazil's universally disappointing performance at the South American Under-20 championship, he was seen as an ideal candidate for a loan move.
Thus, with makeweights needed to ensure Barcos' arrival at the club, Leandro was one of several players offered on loan to Palmeiras for the season to come.
Once more, then, it seemed Leandro was at a make-or-break point of his career. If he should fail at Palmeiras, playing in Serie B this season, he would quickly have become bracketed with Brazil's numerous failed youth talents. Just two months on, though, and the picture could not look rosier for the on-loan star. Six goals in just nine appearances have helped force his way into the Palmeiras first-team, while that form has seen Luiz Felipe Scolari reward him with a first international cap. Despite playing just 12 minutes against Bolivia, he found the back of the net once again.
There are young footballers the world over who have experienced a similar stalling of their development in the harsh environment of first-team football, but Leandro is an example to them all. The youngster appears to have put his issues behind him and worked hard on his game, with his visibly increased body mass testament to the hours he has put in behind the scenes.
Palmeiras are in the process of discussing parting with €5 million to secure his signature on a permanent basis and, if he can maintain his form over a longer period, it will be just the start of what should be a promising career. He is no "Neymarzinho", that much is certain, but he might just make himself a very good player in his own right.