Born in
Marco de Canaveses,
Porto District, Leal only played amateur football, retiring in 1998 after a three-year spell with Salvadorense. His first head coaching spell arrived midway through the
2002–03 season, and he was able to help
Marco narrowly avoid relegation from the
Segunda Liga. From 2004 to 2009, Leal worked mainly as an assistant manager, representing in that capacity
Paredes,
Beira-Mar,
Aliados Lordelo and
Penafiel. In the
2009–10 campaign, he acted as fitness coach at Turkish club
Gaziantepspor. On 28 May 2012, after another youth spell with Penafiel, Leal was appointed as coach of the first team. He led them to the ninth position in his
first year, achieving promotion to the
Primeira Liga in
the following after a third-place finish as the runners-up
Porto B were not eligible; following this success, he was voted
coach of the season. On 16 May 2014, Leal signed with
Moreirense also in the top division. He left on 19 May 2016 following the expiration of his contract, after consecutively managing to lead the team into safety. On 11 October 2016, Leal was announced as the new
Boavista manager after the club parted ways with
Erwin Sánchez. He was relieved of his duties early into the
following season, but found accommodation two days after being fired by joining second tier side
Arouca. Leal left Arouca on 26 September 2018, after four consecutive losses put the team in last place at the start of
the season. The following 17 January, he came back to the league at
Cova da Piedade on a deal until the end of the campaign. When it finished, he returned to Penafiel on 4 June 2019, succeeding
Armando Evangelista. His contract ended abruptly due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and his team
finished 15th in the aborted season. On 19 October 2020, Leal returned to work at
Varzim, succeeding
Paulo Alves at the 17th-placed club. He left on New Year's Day, having won once in nine games and never in the league. On 22 March 2021, he returned to Cova da Piedade. In July 2023, having been unemployed for two years, Leal was appointed head coach of
Al-Tadamon in the
Kuwaiti Division One. On 2 February 2024, his side reached the semi-finals of the
Emir Cup after ousting holders
Kuwait SC on
penalties. ==Personal life==