Young Argentinean midfielder Leandro Paredes is familiar to many football fans, especially Russian. After all, he has been protecting the colors of St. Petersburg Zenith for a whole year. During his career, he changed several clubs, and in each he managed to prove himself. However, this can be described in a little more detail.
early years
At the age of six, Leandro Paredes entered the football school at the Argentine club Boca Juniors, where he then played until 2014.
In 2010, he moved from youth to the core. In November, the 6th, his debut took place. It was a game against Argentinos Juniors. The young man replaced Lucas Vyatri 7 minutes before the end of the match.
Two years later, the young midfielder scored his first goal. Then, in the same match that took place against FC San Lorenzo, he sent the second ball into the opponents' goal.
Interestingly, at the beginning of his career, the footballer acted closer to the attack. Largely because he was equal to Juan Roman Riquelme - his favorite player. By the way, Leandro Paredes received the nickname "Heir" for this very reason. Many saw him as a replacement for Riquelme.
However, the young man played not often. For almost four years in the main team, he played only 28 matches and scored 5 goals. But they managed to notice him. Leandro received an offer from Roma, but the deal did not take place immediately - the Romans exhausted their quota for the purchase of players who do not have an EU passport. However, the Italian club decided not to give up. They transacted the deal through FC Chievo.
Career at Roma
Continuing to consider the biography of Leandro Paredes, it should be noted that even if he was bought by the Roman team in fact, he still played in Chievo once. He was released to replace Cyril Thero in the match against Torino.
However, in July 2014, he went to Rome for a year and a half with the right to buy the contract. He sent his first goal against FC Cagliari.
In total, footballer Leandro Paredes spent 27 yellow matches (totaling 423 minutes) and scored three goals. Despite spending little time on the field, Roma bought back a contract for 4,500,000 euros from Boca Juniors.
Transition to Empoli
In 2015, Leandro was rented for one season by another Italian club. He joined Empoli on August 26th. In one year, he spent 33 matches and scored 2 goals (the first in a game against Udinese).
The team was going through a difficult time. Together with the head coach, the most important players left the club - Valdifiori, Husay, Rugani. The team was led by Marco Giampaolo, and he did not change the system of the game.
In the career of Paredes, this was reflected in the best way. For the first time, he went into the depths of the central “rhombus," beginning to fulfill the functions of a point guard.
In a new position, he quickly adapted. Since in the past he was an attacker, he easily got out of pressure using dribbling. A magnificent vision of the field allowed him to become the leader of Series A in the number of programs. That season, Leandro Paredes became the main player in the roster, but the lease term came to an end, and he had to return to Rome.
Back to Roma
Leandro returned to the field in the Champions League match, in which his team competed with Porto. He continued to impress with his game, and in March 2017, everyone already perceived him as a full-time standards performer in a Roman club.
Largely thanks to him, as well as the leadership of Marco Giampaolo, the Romans became the main sensation of the first half of Series A. Leandro played the role of a playmaker in front of the defense.
He fit into the 4-3-1-2 circuit successfully. Moreover, it was then that he was able to fully realize all his skills. But Paredes has a lot of them: he perfectly fulfills the standards, controls the ball well, gives excellent passes, and he sees the field perfectly.
Relocation to Russia
In the summer of 2017, it became known that St. Petersburg Zenit bought out a talented midfielder. The agreement is designed for four years. The Russian club gave him 23 million euros! In addition, the Romans can still be paid 4 million for successful player performances.
In “Zenith” Leandro Paredes often goes on the field. He has already played 33 matches and scored 5 goals. Not surprisingly, in October 2017, he was awarded the title of best football player of the month.
I must say that the Argentine midfielder scores interestingly. What is the only goal in the match against Arsenal when he sent the ball into the opponent’s goal with a direct corner kick! Surely there will be many more such spectacular moments ahead.
Interesting facts and personal life
In one of his interviews, Leandro said that at first he was even a little scared to move to Russia. But, as he assures himself, these were vain experiences. Yes, the Argentinean adapted to the Russian language with difficulty, but the player received great respect from the fans and teammates, which outweighed this slight minus.
Paredes says - he likes life in Russia. And the fact that he plays in a strong team allows him to get even more pleasure.
What can be said about the personal life of Leandro Paredes? The Argentinean midfielder is married to Camille Galante, with whom he has two children - a son and a daughter. It is interesting that they have been in a relationship for more than 7 years, but they married just recently - at the end of 2017.
The Argentine made an offer in St. Petersburg. By the way, in one of his interviews he said that Camille knew much more about Russia than he did. Young people played a wedding in Buenos Aires - it was a very modest ceremony, judging by the photographs. Now the whole Paredes family lives happily in St. Petersburg.
Leandro is not going to leave Zenit - he says that he considers his goal to improve the club's performance. In addition, the St. Petersburg club really gives him a lot of playing time, which is very important for a football player.