Leonardo "Leo" Cecilio Fernández López (born 8 November 1998) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Uruguayan Primera División club Peñarol.
Born in Montevideo, Fernández joined Fénix's youth setup in 2011, from lowly CSyD Amanecer.[1] On 31 May 2015, aged just 16, he made his first team – and Primera División – debut, coming on as a late substitute for Martín Ligüera in a 2–0 away loss against Peñarol.[2]
After spending his first two seasons as a backup, Fernández started to appear regularly from the 2017 campaign onwards. He scored his first professional goal on 25 March of that year, netting the winner in a 2–1 home defeat of El Tanque Sisley.[3]
On 4 March 2018, Fernández scored a brace in a 3–2 defeat to Defensor Sporting.[4] On 29 July, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 away routing of Cerro,[5] and finished the campaign with 11 goals, playing a key part as his side narrowly avoided relegation.
On 24 June 2019, Fernández joined Mexican club Tigres UANL on a free transfer. He was immediately loaned out to Club Universidad de Chile.
On 12 December 2019, Fernández joined Deportivo Toluca on a season-long loan.[6] Despite his stellar form, head coach Ricardo Ferretti relegated him to a supporting role upon rejoining Tigres UANL. On 19 December 2021, Fernández joined Toluca on permanent basis.[7]
On 4 July 2023, Fernández joined Fluminense on a one-year loan. [8] The loan was terminated early after the player failed to make an impact at the club.
On 17 January 2024, Fernández joined Peñarol on a one-year loan. He finished the season as the league's top scorer with 16 goals. On 5 January 2025, Peñarol reached an agreement to sign Fernández for a reported fee of US$7 million, a record for uruguayan football.[9]
As a youth international, Fernández has represented Uruguay at the 2015 South American U-17 Championship and the 2019 Pan American Games.[10]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fénix | 2014–15 | Uruguayan Primera División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2017 | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 2 | |||||
| 2018 | 34 | 11 | — | — | — | 34 | 11 | |||||
| 2019 | 15 | 12 | — | — | — | 15 | 12 | |||||
| Total | 90 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 25 | ||
| Tigres UANL | 2020–21 | Liga MX | 22 | 1 | — | 3[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| 2021–22 | 13 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 2 | ||
| Universidad de Chile (loan) | 2019 | Chilean Primera División | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Toluca (loan) | 2019–20 | Liga MX | 10 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 8 | ||
| Toluca | 2021–22 | Liga MX | 15 | 7 | — | — | — | 15 | 7 | |||
| 2022–23 | 39 | 10 | — | — | — | 39 | 10 | |||||
| Total | 54 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 17 | ||
| Fluminense (loan) | 2023 | Série A | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |
| Career total | 203 | 53 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 214 | 63 | ||
Tigres UANL
Fluminense
Peñarol
Individual
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