Leonel Bucca (born 20 March 1999) is an Argentine professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Independiente Rivadavia Club Sportivo Independiente Rivadavia (mostly known simply as Independiente Rivadavia) is a football club from Mendoza, Argentina. The team currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, the first major league in the Argentine Football leag ...

Career

Bucca initially came through the ranks at the local side San Lorenzo Esperanza, before moving into the Unión Santa Fe youth system in 2016. In January 2020, Bucca was linked with a move to the United States with second tier team Loudoun United. The move never materialised, with the midfielder later describing it as "nothing concrete". He signed his first professional contract on 28 October 2020, which was followed by his senior debut in a draw at home to

Arsenal de Sarandí Arsenal Fútbol Club (), usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí , or simply Arsenal, is an Argentine sports club from the Sarandí district of Avellaneda Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, t ...

on 1 November; he featured for seventy-five minutes. He was sent off in his second appearance on 20 November against the same opponents. After five total matches for Unión, Bucca was loaned to

Primera Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, (English "National B Division"), and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 teams ...

with

Deportivo Riestra Deportivo Riestra Asociación de Fomento Barrio Colón, also known as Deportivo Riestra, is an Argentina, Argentine sports club from Buenos Aires. The club is mainly focused on association football, football. As of 2024, Deportivo Riestra plays i ...

on 10 February 2021. In December 2022, after his contract with Unión Santa Fe expired, Bucca dropped down to the Primera Nacional, joining

San Martín de Tucumán Club Atlético San Martín (mostly known as San Martín de Tucumán) is an Argentine sports club founded in 1909 and based in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán Province. The club is notable for its football team, which currently plays ...

. At the end of the 2023 season, his contract expired and he left the club. On 9 January 2024, Bucca moved to Portugal, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

club

Estrela da Amadora Club Football Estrela Amadora SAD (), sometimes just Estrela da Amadora, is a Portuguese professional sports club (predominantly football) based in Amadora, northwest of Lisbon. The team is currently competing in the Primeira Liga, after winnin ...

Personal life

On 22 November 2020, it was confirmed that Bucca had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

amid the

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

Career statistics

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bucca, Leonel 1999 births Living people People from Esperanza, Santa Fe Footballers from Santa Fe Province Argentine men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Argentine Primera División players Primera Nacional players Primeira Liga players Unión de Santa Fe footballers Deportivo Riestra players San Martín de Tucumán footballers C.F. Estrela da Amadora players Independiente Rivadavia footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal 21st-century Argentine sportsmen