Leonardo Kalil Abdala

São Paulo produced Leonardo Kalil Abdala , who came through the club's academy before moving on to build his career away from home. His most productive spell in Brazil came in the youth ranks at Criciúma, where he finished as top scorer for the club's under-20 side in the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, before two separate spells with the senior team either side of a loan to Albirex Niigata in Japan.

The following years took him through a string of smaller Brazilian clubs — União Rondonópolis, Portuguesa Santista, Osasco Sporting, São Joseense — with a loan to Operário Ferroviário along the way. That changed once he left Brazil for South Korea in 2023. That form earned him a return to the second tier with Gyeongnam FC on a free transfer at the start of 2025.

A year later, Kalil moved again, this time to Thailand's Port F.C., where he scored 5 goals in 13 league appearances and won the Thai League Cup. He left Port F.C. in August 2026 to sign for Irtysh Pavlodar, joining the Kazakh club on a free transfer and taking the number 9 shirt.