In true Path2Pro fashion, another player is going pro.
It’s a bittersweet moment as we share the news that Buffalo favorite Leonardo Paiva (#23) has just signed his first profressional contract with Aljazeera Club Jordanian.
This is a special signing for Dr. Maen Hussein as Paiva will now be playing professionally in Dr. Hussein’s country of birth, Jordan. We interviewed Dr. Hussein to get this thoughts on hearing the news, “I’m very excited for him and happy that he is playing in my home country. I’m confident he will do very well there and will enjoy his stay as the Jordanian people are very friendly and huge soccer fans.”
Dr. Hussein tries to visit Jordan once a year to visit his mother and family. He let us know that Aljazeera Club Jordanian was one of the first clubs established in Jordan in 1947 and that it’s one of the top clubs in the Premier league there.
When we asked his thoughts on Leo signing with a professional team, Dr. Hussein said, “Leo is one of the best players we had, I’m not surprised he joined a professional team. This is our mission in our club to help players achieve their goals and dreams and help them mature and become great ambassadors, with their great playing skills and work ethics.” He offered that he may visit Jordan more often now to cheer for Leo.
“It’s like a dream come true for me. I’m really excited for this new chapter in my life.”
-Leonardo Paiva
We spoke with Leo to congratulate him on this major accomplishment, he shared a little on his expereince with The Villages SC and had a message for the Buffalo fans. “My expereince at The Villages was a first class experience. Everything was really enjoyable during my time there, from the coaching staff, to the players, and all the fans. I would like to thank all of the fans for all the support they gave not only to me, but to all the players during our seasons at The Villages SC. It was a pleasure to be part of this family. Good luck on the next match on March 25th. I’ll be watching and cheering with you now.”
Leo played for The Villages SC for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He played an integral part in the Buffalo bringing home the title of 2018 Southern Conference Champions. In 2018 he played in a total of 17 games with 1,498 minutes played.
He finished the 2018 season with 12 goals and 4 assists. In 2019 he played in 13 games with 9 goals and 8 assists and was chosen by USL League Two as one of “The Season’s Best 11” in their Team of the Year picks.
