Leo Zabala is uncertain about his future at Santos (Credit: Raul Baretta/Santos FC)
The Football Department of Santos decided to remove defender Leonardo Zabala to ‘Group B’. Recovered from an ACL injury, the defender did not spend long training with Fábio Carille’s technical committee and was soon removed from the team that is part of the club’s plans for the Brazilian Series B.
Now, the Bolivian’s representative is looking for options on the market, whether through a loan or a permanent exit. He joins goalkeeper Paulo Mazoti, defenders Derick and Thiago Balieiro, full-backs Pedrinho Scaramussa and Cadu and midfielders João Victor ‘Balão’, Kevin Malthus, Ivonei and Rafael Moreira, who are also training separately.
HISTORIC
Leo Zabala is from Santa Cruz de La Sierra (Bolivia) and was born in May 2002. The defender arrived at Peixe in September 2021 after leaving Palmeiras. That year, he played in three Under-20 matches for the Copa Paulista. The following year for the category, he played in one game for the Copa São Paulo, scored 3 goals in 24 games for Paulista and 7 duels for the Brasileiro.
Zabala was listed by the professional in Series A of the Brazilian Championship in the defeats to Avaí, in Florianópolis, and Fortaleza, in Vila Belmiro, but did not debut for the main team. In 2023, he scored one goal in eight games for Copinha and was once again mentioned by the top team, but without making his debut in the victory over Iguatu-CE in the Copa do Brasil.
During this period, his contract was renewed until the end of 2025 and he was training with the professional team as he had already reached the age limit for the youth teams. In fact, he already had experience with the Bolivian youth team. On March 24, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his left knee when he played for Bolivia in a 1-0 defeat against Uzbekistan, at the Abdullah Stadium (Arabia), in a friendly.
He underwent surgery in Brazil on April 5th and had been recovering since then. He underwent physical therapy and physical transition. In the final stretch of the year, when Peixe was fighting against relegation, it was completing its recovery. When the 2024 season started, he also started muscle strengthening. After strengthening, he didn’t stay in the main group for long and now his future is uncertain.
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