Santos in 2022 Born in
Itapetinga,
Bahia, Marcos Leonardo moved to
Taubaté,
São Paulo in May 2014, and joined
Santos' youth setup in August, after a trial. On 23 October 2019, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a three-year deal. On 21 July 2020, Marcos Leonardo was one of the five youth graduates registered for
the year's
Campeonato Paulista. He made his professional – and
Série A – debut on 20 August, coming on as a second-half
substitute for
Yeferson Soteldo in a 1–0 away win against
Sport Recife. On 15 September 2020, Marcos Leonardo made his
Copa Libertadores debut by replacing
Raniel in a 0–0 home draw against
Club Olimpia. He scored his first professional goal on 4 October, netting his team's third in a 3–2 away win against
Goiás. On 20 October 2020, Marcos Leonardo scored the winner in a 2–1 home success over
Defensa y Justicia, becoming the sixth-youngest to score in the Libertadores, and the fourth-youngest Brazilian. He spent the 2021 campaign as a backup option, initially behind fellow youth graduate
Kaio Jorge and subsequently behind new signing
Léo Baptistão. On 15 January 2022, Marcos Leonardo agreed to renew his contract with Santos until 2026. He became an undisputed starter, and started to score regularly for the club in the following years, becoming one of the 50 top goalscorers of their history after a winning goal against
Palmeiras on 8 October 2023.
Benfica On 5 January 2024, Marcos Leonardo moved to Portugal, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract with
Primeira Liga club
Benfica, for a reported transfer fee of €18 million, with Santos having the right to 10% of the profit the
Lisbon-based club receive from a future transfer. His release clause was set at €150 million. On each of his first three league games for Benfica, against
Rio Ave,
Boavista and
Estrela da Amadora, Marcos Leonardo came on as a substitute during the second half and scored, helping seal 4–1, 2–0 and 4–1 victories, respectively. On 15 February 2024, he made his
UEFA Europa League debut, coming off the bench to replace
Arthur Cabral in the final minutes of a
knockout round play-off match at home to
Toulouse; he won a penalty that
Ángel Di María converted, allowing Benfica to win by 2–1.
Al Hilal On 2 September 2024, Marcos Leonardo joined
Saudi Pro League club
Al Hilal on a five-year contract. On 30 June 2025, in the
Round of 16 of the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Leonardo scored twice, including the winning goal in extra-time as Al Hilal defeated
Manchester City 4–3 to advance to the Quarter-finals. On 2 February 2026, Atletico Madrid agreed a loan with an option to sign him in the summer for €40 Million, as Leonardo was keen on impressing Carlo Ancelotti before the World Cup in the Summer. However Al Hilal reportedly pulled the plug on the deal as Karim Benzema's signing was in doubt. ==International career==