Diego León (footballer, born 2007)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Diego Basilio León Blanco | ||
| Date of birth | 3 April 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Colonia Yguazú, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, left wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester United | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2023 | Cerro Porteño | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | Cerro Porteño | 26 | (3) |
| 2025– | Manchester United | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2025– | Paraguay U20 | 9 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 May 2025 | |||
Diego Basilio León Blanco (born 3 April 2007) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a left-back and left wing-back for Premier League club Manchester United.
Early life
León was born on 3 April 2007 in Colonia Yguazú, Paraguay, as the youngest of nine children.[2] He is the son of Brígida Blanco.[3]
Club career
Cerro Porteño
León began his career with Cerro Porteño, making his senior debut on 2 August 2024, in a 1–0 win over Sportivo Ameliano, scoring the winning goal.[4]
Manchester United
It was announced on 11 January 2025 that León would sign for Premier League club Manchester United in the summer window.[5][6] On 5 July 2025, Manchester United confirmed the signing of León.[7][8]
Style of play
He has been described as "one of the great promises of Paraguayan football".[9]
Career statistics
- As of match played 5 July 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2024 | Paraguayan Primera División | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 2 | ||
| 2025 | Paraguayan Primera División | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 1 | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Total | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 | ||
| Manchester United | 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 | ||
- ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
Honours
Individual
- Player of the Month in Paraguayan Primera Division (July) according to APF: 2024[9]
- Included in the Top 10 Young Revelations of the Year according to CIES: 2024[10]
- Best U-18 Footballer in the World (4th) according to CIES: 2024[11]
References
- ^ "Diego León". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "The background to our latest signing". 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "La increíble historia de superación de Diego León, el juvenil del momento en Cerro". versus.com.py. 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Diego León: Del "no dormí" por el debut y "tenía la sensación de que iba a meter un gol"". abc.com.py.
- ^ "Diego Leon: The ultra-athletic, goal-scoring teenager who Man Utd believe can solve their full-back woes | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ "Teenage defender Leon set for Man Utd medical". BBC.co.uk. Simon Stone. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ "León signs for United". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "Manchester United sign Diego Leon: Lowdown on Paraguayan left-back". BBC Sport. 5 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Diego León ¿Mejor jugador de julio antes de su debut en agosto?" [Diego León: Best player of July before his debut in August?]. RCC (in Spanish). 13 August 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ Simons, Santiago (12 December 2024). "De la nada misma: el United comprará a la gran promesa de Paraguay" [Out of nowhere: United to buy Paraguay's rising star]. Bitbol (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Diego León, el 'hijo adoptivo' de Manolo Jiménez que apunta a ser el primer fichaje de Amorim en el United" [Diego León, Manolo Jiménez's 'adopted son,' set to become Amorim's first signing at United]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.