Leonardo Jesus Loureiro Bittencourt (born 19 December 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Energie Cottbus.
Personal life Bittencourt was born in Leipzig, Germany. He is the son of Franklin Bittencourt, a Brazilian former professional player who played in Germany, and is now active as a coach.
Club career Bittencourt began his career with Energie Cottbus. On 1 December 2011, it was announced that Bittencourt had signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund, effective from 1 July 2012. He moved to Hannover 96 at the end of the 2012–13 season.
On 13 July 2015, Bittencourt joined 1. FC Köln on a four-year deal keeping him at the club until 2019.
On 28 April 2018, he played as Köln lost 3–2 to SC Freiburg which confirmed Köln's relegation from the Bundesliga. After the team's relegation, Bittencourt was transferred to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for a fee of €6 million.
On 2 September 2019, Werder Bremen announced the signing of Bittencourt on a season-long loan deal. It was reported the transfer included an obligation for Werder Bremen to sign him permanently for an estimated transfer fee of €7 million. The obligation took effect in July 2020.
International career Bittencourt has represented Germany's youth teams, under 19 and under 21. He was first called up to under 21 in 2012, for the friendly against Turkey on 14 November 2012.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueDFB-PokalContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsEnergie Cottbus II2010–11Regionalliga Nord42–––42Energie Cottbus2010–112. Bundesliga3000––302011–1226210––272Total292100000302Borussia Dortmund II2012–133. Liga12100––121Borussia Dortmund2012–13Bundesliga511010–71Hannover 962013–142. Bundesliga31420––3342014–1526120––281Total5754000006151. FC Köln2015–16Bundesliga29310––3032016–1716320––1832017–182252140–286Total671151400076121899 Hoffenheim2018–19Bundesliga2112030–2612019–201000––10Total221203000271Werder Bremen (loan)2019–20Bundesliga28432–10326Werder Bremen2020–21Bundesliga27421––2952021–222. Bundesliga22200–002222022–23Bundesliga25321––2742023–24Bundesliga29110––3012024–25Bundesliga27240——3122025–26Bundesliga17010——180Total14712102000015714Career total37139265801040644
References