Antonio Leal (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Leal Mateos | ||
| Date of birth | 28 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Villamartín, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cádiz | |||
| 2017–2018 | Villarreal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2021 | Villarreal C | 54 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | → Recreativo (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Levante B | 31 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Unionistas | 28 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ponferradina | 29 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Gimnàstic | 30 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 May 2025 | |||
Antonio Leal Mateos (born 28 January 1999) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a centre-back.
Career
Born in Villamartín, Cádiz, Andalusia, Leal joined Villarreal CF's youth sides in 2017, from Cádiz CF. In the following year, after finishing his formation, he was promoted to the C-team in Tercera División, making his senior debut on 9 September of that year by starting in a 2–0 away loss to CD Eldense.
On 1 October 2020, Leal was loaned to Segunda División B side Recreativo de Huelva, for one year.[1] The following 17 July, after suffering relegation, he left Villarreal and signed for another reserve team, Atlético Levante UD in Segunda División RFEF.[2]
On 25 August 2022, after another relegation, Leal agreed to a contract with Primera Federación side Unionistas de Salamanca CF.[3] On 11 July of the following year, he moved to fellow league team SD Ponferradina on a one-year deal.[4]
On 14 July 2024, Leal signed a two-year contract with Gimnàstic de Tarragona also in division three.[5] Despite being a regular starter during the most of the campaign, he lost his starting spot to youth prospect Enric Pujol during the play-offs, as his side narrowly missed out promotion.[6]
On 9 July 2025, Leal terminated his link with Nàstic.[7]
References
- ^ "Leal will play on loan at Recreativo de Huelva". Villarreal CF. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Antonio Leal deja el Villarreal CF y ficha por el Levante UD" [Antonio Leal leaves Villarreal CF and signs for Levante UD]. Valencia Plaza (in Spanish). esportbase media. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "PLANTILLA | Antonio Leal, nuevo refuerzo para la defensa" [SQUAD | Antonio Leal, new addition for the defense] (in Spanish). Unionistas de Salamanca CF. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Antonio Leal, nuevo jugador de la SD Ponferradina" [Antonio Leal, new player of SD Ponferradina] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Antonio Leal, tercera incorporación grana 24–25" [Antonio Leal, third grana 24–25 signing] (in Spanish). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 14 July 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Jugadores brillantes y muchas decepciones en un curso que es el final de una etapa del Nàstic" [Brilliant players and a lot of disappointments in a campaign which is the end of a period at Nàstic] (in Spanish). Diari Més. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ "Antonio Leal finalitza la seva vinculació amb el Nàstic" [Antonio Leal ends his link with Nàstic] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
External links
- Antonio Leal at BDFutbol
- Antonio Leal at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
- Antonio Leal at Soccerway