One to Watch – Leonardo Ulloa

Name: Leonardo Ulloa

Date of Birth: 26/7/1986

Nationality: Argentina

Former Clubs: C.A.I., San Lorenzo, Arsenal de Sarandi, Olimpo, Castellon, Almeria, Brighton & Hove Albion

League Appearances (Goals): 295 (107)

International Appearances (Goals): 0 (0)

Stat of the Day: Three of Leonardo Ulloa`s five Premier League goals this season have come within two minutes of the opposition scoring

Player Profile: Of the three promoted teams last season, Leicester were probably the ones that needed to purchase a striker the most; Danny Ings and Charlie Austin, hungry to prove themselves at the highest level, have started to find their feet in the top division with a flurry of goals, whereas David Nugent has tried and failed at this level before and Jamie Vardy was always going to toil amongst the elite. The £8 million acquisition of Leonardo Ulloa, therefore, looked like a prudent bit of business from solid, 4-4-2, Nigel Pearson. Five goals in his first five Premier League games made that £8 million look like a snippet of perhaps what should have been paid, and despite no goals in his following seven appearances the Argentinean striker could well turn out to be the difference between Leicester eluding relegation or plummeting back to the Championship.

Ulloa and Leicester`s infamous goal drought will hardly deter the 28-year-old; the forward has emerged from anonymity in his late 20`s through a tale of patience and perseverance having grafted throughout Argentina`s lower divisions early on in his career, gaining little recognition back home along the way. Ulloa finally has his chance to perform on the world stage, and Leicester`s record signing has already gone some way to proving his physical presence as well as eye for goal can be a match for the Premier League`s best defenders.

Playing Career:

Leonardo Ulloa was born in the Rio Negro province of Argentina, and having impressed for local side Deportivo Roca in a game against Second Division side C.A.I., was immediately snapped up and began playing professional football at the age of just 16.
San Lorenzo, one of Argentina`s most famous clubs and renowned for its excellent scout links with CAI, offered Ulloa the chance to move to the Primera Division side in 2005. Despite the striker`s big chance to make a name for himself he only managed 31 appearances for the current Copa Libertadores champions and spent time on loan at Argentinean clubs Arsenal de Sarandi and Olimpo de Bahia Blanca from 2007 to 2008.

Due to the lack of first team opportunities Ulloa took the plunge and moved to Spanish side Castellon in 2008 for just under half a million pounds. He responded by scoring an impressive 30 goals in his first two seasons at the club, but following Castellon`s relegation to the third tier of Spanish football, Ulloa secured a ?900,000 move to then Segunda Division outfit Almeria in 2010.

He finished as top goalscorer during the 2011/2012 campaign, netting 28 times, earning him a four-and-a-half-year deal at Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee believed to be around £2 million in 2013. He became the first ever player to score a hat-trick at Brighton`s new stadium, The AMEX, and went on to help The Seagulls reach the playoffs in 2014 with 16 goals to his name. Leicester moved to snap up the striker for a record £8 million following their promotion to the Premier League.