Sebastián Eduardo Leto (born 30 August 1986) is an Argentine professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former player. He is the current manager of
Greek Super League
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
club
A.E. Kifisia.
Club career
Lanús
Born in
Alejandro Korn, Leto began his career with Buenos Aires club
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
, making his first team debut on 25 June 2005. He spent two seasons at the club, making 52 appearances and scoring 8 goals.
Liverpool
On 10 August 2007, Leto signed for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
for £1,850,000 ($3.6million). His debut was against
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, in a 4–0 victory for
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualifying round fixture on 28 August 2007.
Following this he featured in another
Champions League game and two
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
matches. He never made his
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
debut due to problems with his passport, forcing him to play in the
Liverpool reserve team instead. Leto was granted an Italian passport in mid-2007 but this was later revoked, making the Argentine need to apply for a work permit; a request which was later refused. Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. He was most recently the manager of La Liga club RC Celta de Vigo, Celta Vigo.
Beníte ...
criticised the decision given the player's track record in the
Champions League and national selection for the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
.
Olympiacos
Leto joined the Greek team
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
in June 2008 on a one-year loan deal.
On 16 September 2008, Leto scored the second goal in the 2–0
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
first round, first leg victory away against
FC Nordsjælland. He scored his first and only league goal in a 2–1 home win against Thrassyvoulos in December 2008.
Panathinaikos
On 23 June 2009,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
accepted an offer from
Panathinaikos believed to be in the region of £3,000,000. On 1 July 2009, the player signed a 5-year contract for about 1.2 million (with bonus fees).
On 28 July, Leto made his debut appearance for the greens on the away
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
qualifying stages game against
Sparta Prague
Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague.
It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...
, coming from the bench on the second half. On 8 August in Athens, Panathinaikos needed a two-goal margin victory and Leto was one of the starting eleven for the Greek side who dominated the game 3–0 and qualified to the next round.
On 19 August, Leto came from the bench to score in Panathinaikos 2–3 defeat to
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
in the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg.
On 22 August Leto scored two goals against the Cretan side Ergotelis away in a 3–0 victory.
On 13 September, Leto scored the only goal against the Thracians Panthrakikos in an important 1–0 away victory.
On 24 April 2010 he scored the victorious goal of Panathinaikos at the Greek Cup final against Aris Thessaloniki. The previous week he also won the Greek championship, thus achieving the double (second consequent double of his career, after the first one with Olympiacos in 2009).
After the departure of captain
Djibril Cissé and vice-captain
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva (; born 7 October 1976) is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder, most notably for Brazilian side Atlético Mineiro a ...
he was chosen after two seasons serving the club to be the 3rd Captain.
Leto started the
2011–12 Super League Greece in commanding form, netting a brace in a 3–2 victory over
Xanthi
Xanthi is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi regional unit of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace.
Amphitheatrically built on the foot of Rhodope mountain chain, the city is divided ...
on 16 October. He followed this up by notching another brace against
Ergotelis on 22 October, in which Panathinaikos ran out 4–0 winners. Leto's good performances were enough for
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
table-toppers
Torino
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
to report interest in the Argentine, as they look to regain status in the
Italian top flight.
On 30 October, Panathinaikos faced
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
, Leto grabbed a goal as his side won 3–1 and maintained their lead at the top of the Greek first division. In the following game against
Ergotelis, Leto added two more goals as his side won 4–0. Leto's inspired start to the season resulted with ten goals and one assist from the first seven games. His performances were enough to guide Panathinaikos to the top of the table on 19 points, having played fewer games than most of their title challengers.
Leto continued in brilliant form scoring 15 goals in 13 matches as well as 5 assists, keeping Panathinaikos still in the fight for the title.
Through the first 17 league fixtures, Leto lead the goal-scorers chart with 15 league goals. On 25 January 2012, Leto suffered a knee injury and flew to Bologna to be checked by a specialist who said that he would be forced out at least until March. It was revealed in March though that he would not be available until at least early April with continued knee problems. After a few days, it was revealed that Leto will not be available for the whole season. On 22 January 2013, Leto terminated his contract with Panathinaikos.
Catania
On 16 April 2013,
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
confirmed that they had signed the Argentine on a deal over a few seasons, the exact details of the length and payment were not released.
Sebastian Leto was brought in during the summer 2013, on a free transfer as a replacement for the departed
Alejandro Gomez. The former
Panathinaikos winger had a history of knee problems, which ultimately led to his release from the Greek club. Catania took a gamble, but he failed to live up to expectations. Leto suffered another knee injury and was being unfairly compared to Gomez, who was arguably the Rossazzuri's best player, but the Argentinean did not succeed in making an impact at the club, and in January 2015 signed a year-long loan with his former Argentinian club
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
. On 11 February 2015, Leto was taken to hospital for emergency treatment after a barbell fell on his head during training. The then 28-year-old, who had been on loan at Argentinian club Lanus since 3 February for a loan fee of €500,000, was initially sent home by the medical staff with a deep wound in his head. But he later went to the hospital after suffering headaches and was placed in intensive care. Doctors feared Leto may have had internal hemorrhaging.
At the end of the loan, Cypriot club
Anorthosis have made an offer for Sebastian Leto, but the Argentine left winger asked for a 48 hours deadline because he prefers to join Greek side
Panathinaikos. The 29-year-old playerwas recently released by
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
and wants to return to the Greens after three years, asking for a low-salary contract.
Second spell at Panathinaikos
In early February 2015, there were rumours of a return to
Panathinaikos, after Leto was released from
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
.
The manager of
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
,
Guillermo Barros Schelotto spoke about his compatriot and former player at
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
, Sebastian Leto, and his desire to return in Greece for
Panathinaikos.''"Leto was enjoying being in an argentine club and having his family along, but he always wanted to return in Greece for Panathinaikos. He had a serious accident, but he is strong and despite not playing match in Lanus, in a good fitness condition. Sebastian is a talented and clever player, with quality and still a future ahead of him, he will help Panathinaikos very much and maybe the next season decrease the difference from champions Olympiakos", said the 43-year-old Argentine at ''SDNA''.
On 5 February 2016,
Panathinaikos officially announced the signing of Sebastian Leto until the end of the following season and the Argentinian left winger returned to the club after three years. On 3 April 2016, he helped his club by scoring a brace to win a game against
Veria
Veria (; ), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Beroea or Berea, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of Imathia. It is located north-nor ...
for the Greek
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
. At the beginning of the
2016–17 Superleague Greece he eventually picked up his favorite number, no.11. On 11 September 2016, he scored his first goal for the
2016-17 season in a 3–0 away win against
Levadiakos. On 24 May 2017, thanks to a spot kick by the experienced Argentine attacking midfielder, Panathinaikos won a crucial game rivals
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
at
Leoforos Stadium, for the
2016-17 Playoffs.
On 1 June 2017,
Panathinaikos announced that the club will not renew Leto's contract, so their co-operation ended.
On 8 October 2017, Leto, (after
Michael Essien
Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian Association football, football coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach at Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland. During his prime he was regarded as on ...
,
Rasmus Thelander,
Jens Wemmer,
Stathis Tavlaridis and
Niklas Hult) became the latest player to file an appeal against Panathinaikos for late payment. The Argentinian claimed had not been paid his wages by the club since January 2017, estimated to amount to €181,315.
Emirates Club
On 20 August 2017, he signed a long season contract, with the possible extension for a year, with
UAE Arabian Gulf League
The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system.
The first team to w ...
club
Emirates Club
Emirates Club () is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. They play in the UAE Pro League after being promoted from the UAE First Division League. They play their home game ...
. On 17 September in his debut with the club, he scored his first goal against
Al Dhafra FC sealing a 3–3 home draw.
Career statistics
Honours
Olympiacos
*
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
:
2008–09
*
Greek Football Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
:
2008–09
Panathinaikos
*Super League Greece:
2009–10
*Greek Football Cup:
2009–10
References
External links
*
Profileat the Liverpool F.C. website
*
*
Fan club
Best YouTube Tribute Video (for season 09-10)*
*
Sebastián Leto player page on Lanús's official site
LFChistory.net player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leto, Sebastian
Argentine men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Men's association football forwards
Club Atlético Lanús footballers
Liverpool F.C. players
Panathinaikos F.C. players
Olympiacos F.C. players
Catania FC players
People from San Vicente Partido
Emirates Club players
1986 births
Living people
Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Argentine Primera División players
Super League Greece players
Serie A players
Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates
UAE Pro League players
Footballers from Buenos Aires Province
21st-century Argentine sportsmen
A.E. Kifisia F.C. managers