Footballer Sergei Leonov: career and biography

Leonov Sergey Nikolaevich is a professional Russian ex-football player who played at the position of the central midfielder (sometimes a support or an attacker). Over his 18-year-old football career, he has replaced 14 clubs. Of his major sporting achievements can be identified championship in the second division "Center" in the "Spartak-Orekhovo" in 1998 year.

The first steps in sports

Football player Sergei Leonov was born in 1976 on March 14 in the city of Pikalyovo, Leningrad region (USSR, now Russia). He was brought up and grew up in the ordinary family of workers. My father was a machinist at the Alumina Plant, and my mother a pharmacist. Since childhood Sergei Leonov has always been active and moving, he constantly wanted to play something and never sat on the spot.

At the age of six, the parents decided to send the boy to the local football section. With this sport, Sergei was already well acquainted: the guy from morning to night chasing the ball with yard children and did not miss a single match with the participation of St. Petersburg Zenit. Therefore, in the sports section young Sergei came prepared and more or less experienced. Among his peers, the boy immediately began to gain not only professional authority.

A few years later he was transferred to a specialized children's and youth sports school of the Olympic reserve (SDYUSHOR, Pikalyovo). Real professional training and various competitions, both urban and regional, have already started here. A few years later, Sergei Leonov became the captain of his team.

Start of football career in FC "Metallurg"

When the boy turned sixteen, his football talent was noticed by the coaching staff of the local club "Metallurg" (Pikalyovo), who participated in the championship of the Leningrad region. The young football player was offered a real professional contract and, of course, he could not refuse.

So, in 1994, Sergei Leonov became a player of "Metallurg" (Pikalyovo). Here, the player first started playing in midfield. Head coach Belov Anatoly Mikhailovich in every possible way experimented with his playing position on the field. Surprisingly, the football player was able to play superbly and as a support, and midfielder, and winger.

In the "Metallurg" Leonov played four seasons (from 1994 to 1996). In the championship of the Leningrad region he played 52 games, in which he scored 5 goals and made 23 assists.

Going to Spartak-Orekhovo

After Leonov well established himself as a universal midfielder in Metallurg, he was invited to the clubs of the second division. A young footballer during the month considered various proposals. In the end, he opted for "Spartak-Orekhovo" (today this club is called the "Labor Banner"). In 1997 Sergei Leonov signed a contract with him.

Quickly adapting to the new team, he began to enter the field in the first team. We can safely say that the career in "Spartak-Orekhovo" was the most notable in the biography of a football player. After all, in the next season his team became the owner of the second division Cup "Center".

For three seasons, which Sergei Leonov spent in the "Spartak-Orehovo" (from 1997 to 1999), he played in 57 games, which scored one goal scored and 17 assists. Nevertheless, Leonov failed to remain in the team. After three game rounds, he moved to the club "Spartacus" (Tambov).

Tambov "Spartak" and the Finnish club "KTP"

In 1999, Sergei Leonov received an advantageous offer from Tambov's Spartak, who performed in the second division of the Center, which he knew very well. Here he managed to play just 15 matches, after which he got a serious injury and left before the end of the season, thereby losing his place in the first team. Unfortunately, this predetermined the further professional career of the football player.

After recovering from a serious injury, Sergei received an offer from the football club "KTP" from the Finnish Premier League (Wijkkausliiga). It was the first European transfer in his career. However, the game was completely unsettled: at the end of the season the team flew to the lower division of "Jukkenen", and Sergei Leonov returned to his homeland. In total in 1999 - 2000 years. He played for the "KTP" eleven matches, but scored a goal scored and could not.

Decrease in class

Returning home, Leonov began to play for the semiprofessional club "Spartak-Kavkaztransgaz" from the city of Izobilny. Here he spent half the season, having played 10 matches in which he scored 10 goals. In the same year 2001 he moved to the Spartak-Telecom club (Shuya), for which he played 17 games until the end of the football season.

In 2002, Leonov acted in the team of FC "Svetogorets" (Svitogorsk). Here he played 26 games, in which he never scored a scoring goal.

Unfortunately, the trauma in 1999 did not allow Sergei to play at the same professional level. Further football career Leonova took place in amateur and semi-professional clubs. The midfielder played for such little-known teams as PSG (Gatchina), Metallurg-TFZ (Tikhvin), Pobeda (Kronstadt) and many others.