Diego Leon
Encyclopedia
Diego León Ayarza is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Nea Salamis Famagusta FC in Cyprus
, as a midfielder
.
, León could never appear for more than its B side
. He was initially given a squad number with the first team for the 2005–06 season
, but moved to Arminia Bielefeld
in Germany
(first on loan) in January 2005, before he could make his debut for the Spanish
giants. He stayed at Arminia until the end of the season, impressing enough to earn a move to Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland
.
On 21 December 2007, it was announced that León had signed a pre-contract agreement with Barnsley
, with the transfer due to go through at the opening of the transfer window. The Yorkshire
club had hoped to make the move official in time for him to play in the FA Cup
third-round tie against Blackpool
on 5 January 2008, but had to wait until the 9th. León made his first appearance in a Barnsley shirt that evening, playing in a reserve team match against Sheffield United
.
León put in a great performance to earn himself his first matchball as a Barnsley player, with a Man of the match
award against Colchester United
on 29 January 2008. He also played a key role in the Reds massive 3–0 win at Watford
on 9 April at Vicarage Road
, playing a part in all three goals, including a sumptuous flick for Jon Macken
to square to Kayode Odejayi
to score; his corner
allowed Stephen Foster
to bullet a header home and his throughball enabled Odejayi to bag his second.
In the following game against Preston North End
, León scored a key goal in Barnsley's Championship
survival in the 2007–08 season: a 35-yard free kick
for the 2–1 triumph. On 7 May 2009, however, he was told, along with Dennis Souza
, Kyle Letheren
and Marciano Van Homoet he would be leaving the club in the coming summer; shortly after he returned to his country, agreeing a deal with second level
side UD Las Palmas
.
On 13 December 2010, León moved teams - and countries - again, signing with lowly SV Wacker Burghausen
in Germany. In June of the following year, after a failed move to HNK Hajduk Split
, he joined Nea Salamis Famagusta FC in Cyprus
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Nea Salamis Famagusta FC in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Football career
A youth product of Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, León could never appear for more than its B side
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
. He was initially given a squad number with the first team for the 2005–06 season
2005–06 La Liga
* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Cádiz CF* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alaves* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CA Osasuna* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Sociedad* Sevilla FC...
, but moved to Arminia Bielefeld
Arminia Bielefeld
DSC Arminia Bielefeld is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia offers the sports of football, field hockey, figure skating and cue sports. The club has 11,394 members and the club colours are black, white and blue...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(first on loan) in January 2005, before he could make his debut for the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
giants. He stayed at Arminia until the end of the season, impressing enough to earn a move to Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
On 21 December 2007, it was announced that León had signed a pre-contract agreement with Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, with the transfer due to go through at the opening of the transfer window. The Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
club had hoped to make the move official in time for him to play in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third-round tie against Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
on 5 January 2008, but had to wait until the 9th. León made his first appearance in a Barnsley shirt that evening, playing in a reserve team match against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
León put in a great performance to earn himself his first matchball as a Barnsley player, with a Man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award against Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
on 29 January 2008. He also played a key role in the Reds massive 3–0 win at Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
on 9 April at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
, playing a part in all three goals, including a sumptuous flick for Jon Macken
Jon Macken
Jonathan Paul "Jon" Macken is an English-born Irish footballer who plays as a striker and currently plays for League One Walsall...
to square to Kayode Odejayi
Kayode Odejayi
Olukayode "Kayode" Odejayi is a Nigerian international footballer. He currently plays for Colchester United as a striker.-Club career:Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Odejayi started his career as a trainee at Bristol City...
to score; his corner
Corner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
allowed Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
to bullet a header home and his throughball enabled Odejayi to bag his second.
In the following game against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, León scored a key goal in Barnsley's Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
survival in the 2007–08 season: a 35-yard free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
for the 2–1 triumph. On 7 May 2009, however, he was told, along with Dennis Souza
Dennis Souza
Dennis Souza de Guedes, known as simply Dennis Souza is a Brazilian footballer, playing for OFI Crete in the Super League Greece....
, Kyle Letheren
Kyle Letheren
Kyle Charles Letheren is a Welsh professional footballer who currently plays for Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock...
and Marciano Van Homoet he would be leaving the club in the coming summer; shortly after he returned to his country, agreeing a deal with second level
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
side UD Las Palmas
UD Las Palmas
Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands...
.
On 13 December 2010, León moved teams - and countries - again, signing with lowly SV Wacker Burghausen
SV Wacker Burghausen
SV Wacker Burghausen is a German association football club based in Burghausen, Bavaria and is part of one of the nation's largest sports clubs with some 6,000 members participating in two dozen different sports.-History:...
in Germany. In June of the following year, after a failed move to HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split
HNK Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian football club founded in 1911 and based in the city of Split. The club's home ground since 1979 is the 35,000-seater Poljud Stadium and the team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and...
, he joined Nea Salamis Famagusta FC in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
Honours
Spain U16- UEFA U-16 ChampionshipUEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-17 Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. From 1982 to 2001 it was an Under-16 event.This meeting serves as a preliminary competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup every other year....
: 20012001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Quarterfinals:-------------Semi-finals:-----Third Place Playoff:-Final:-References:**...