Transfers
Official: Atlético Sign Forward Léo Baptistão
After months of speculation, and only days after the departure of Radamel Falcao, Atlético Madrid announced the signing of Léo Baptistão from Rayo Vallecano in June 2013. The Brazilian forward, who turned 21 that August, put his name to a five-year contract in a deal reported at €7 million.
Because he also held an Italian passport, Baptistão did not count towards the quota for non-EU players in the Atlético squad, a detail that mattered a great deal in Spanish football at the time and often decided which of two comparable signings a club could actually make.
His final season at Vallecas had brought 7 goals and 6 assists in 28 appearances, including the second goal in Rayo’s 2-1 win over Atlético that February. He was recovering in Brazil from a fractured collarbone that had cost him the closing weeks of the campaign.
“Today is a very important day for me, I’ve fulfilled a dream. I will give my all for Atlético Madrid,” Baptistão wrote on Twitter, before thanking the “Rayo family” for his time at Vallecas, a place he said “will always be my home.”
The deal
Léo Baptistão · forward · from Rayo Vallecano · five-year contract · reported €7m · Italian passport, so outside the non-EU quota.
The signing belonged to the summer in which Atlético replaced Falcao’s 28 league goals with a committee rather than a single striker. David Villa arrived from Barcelona, Diego Costa moved from support act to centre forward, and Baptistão was brought in as a young forward with resale value rather than an immediate answer.
He made 15 appearances across all competitions in the title-winning 2013-14 season without scoring, and spent the following years on loan at Rayo and Villarreal before joining Espanyol permanently in 2016. His later career took him to Wuhan Zall in China and then back to Spain with Almería.
That summer’s rebuild, and the season it produced, are covered in the club history pages, the league campaign in the La Liga honours section, and further reports from the same months in the archive.
Questions about this report
What did Atlético pay for Léo Baptistão?
A reported €7 million to Rayo Vallecano, on a five-year contract, in June 2013.
Why did he not count towards the non-EU quota?
He held an Italian passport as well as a Brazilian one, so he was registered as an EU player.
How did his time at the club go?
Fifteen appearances in the 2013–14 title-winning season without a goal, followed by loans to Rayo and Villarreal and a permanent move to Espanyol in 2016.
Who else arrived in that window?
David Villa came from Barcelona, and Diego Costa moved from a supporting role into the centre-forward position after Falcao left.
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