{{Infobox football biography
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Léo Scienza
|name = Léo Scienza
|image =
|image =
|upright = 0.5
|caption = Scienza with [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] in 2025
|full_name = Leonardo Weschenfelder Scienza
|full_name = Leonardo Weschenfelder Scienza
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|9|13|df=yes}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|9|13|df=yes}}
Brazilian footballer (born 1998)
Leonardo “Léo” Weschenfelder Scienza (born 13 September 1998) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as winger or attacking midfielder for EFL Championship club Southampton.[2]
Born in Venâncio Aires, Scienza had spells with the youth teams of Avenida, Chapecoense and Defensor Sporting,[3] before beginning his senior career with Lajeadense.[4]
Aged 20, Scienza moved to Sweden, having been promised trials with professional clubs by his agent.[5] This did not materialise, and he instead signed for Swedish fifth tier side Fanna BK ahead of the 2019 season.[6] He helped Fanna win promotion to the fourth tier in his only full season at the club, registering 10 goals and 22 assists in 18 league games.[7]
On 16 September 2020, Scienza signed for Schalke 04 II in the German fourth tier.[8] He spent two seasons at the club, scoring 15 goals in 59 appearances in the Regionalliga West, as well as playing once in a friendly for Schalke’s first team.[9]
In 2022, he signed for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Magdeburg.[10] On 16 July 2022, Scienza debuted for Magdeburg during a 2–1 loss to Fortuna Düsseldorf.[11]
On 5 July 2023, Scienza moved to 3. Liga side SSV Ulm.[12] In the 2023–24 season, he finished as the club’s top scorer with 12 goals and won the 3. Liga Player of the Season award, as Ulm won the league title.[13]
On 23 May 2024, Scienza signed a three-year contract with Bundesliga club 1. FC Heidenheim, beginning in July 2024.[14] On 22 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away win over BK Häcken in the UEFA Conference League qualifying phase.[15] On 1 September, he netted his first Bundesliga goal in a 4–0 victory over Augsburg.[16] On 26 May 2025, he scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2–1 away victory against Elversberg in the second leg of the relegation play-offs, ensuring his club’s survival in the top flight.[17]
On 1 September 2025, Scienza joined Southampton on a four-year contract.[18] He made his debut for the club on 14 September in a 0–0 draw with Portsmouth.[19][20] On 25 October, Scienza scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away defeat against Blackburn Rovers.[21]
International career
[edit]
Scienza, of Luxembourgian descent, holds a Luxembourgian passport, yet he is not eligible to represent Luxembourg internationally, having not lived in Luxembourg for five years.[22][23]
- As of match played on 25 November 2025
