Leandro Bacuna
Curaçaoan footballer (born 1991)

Leandro Bacuna
Bacuna playing for Aston Villa in 2016
Personal information
Full name Leandro Jones Johan Bacuna[1]
Date of birth (1991-08-21) 21 August 1991 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Groningen, Netherlands
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Iğdır FK
Number 7
Youth career
2002–2009 Groningen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 Groningen 109 (14)
2013–2017 Aston Villa 116 (7)
2017–2019 Reading 59 (4)
2019–2022 Cardiff City 111 (4)
2022–2023 Watford 14 (0)
2023–2025 Groningen 64 (5)
2025 Bandırmaspor 19 (6)
2026– Iğdır FK 1 (0)
International career‡
2007–2008 Netherlands Antilles U20 5 (3)
2009–2010 Netherlands U19 10 (1)
2011–2013 Netherlands U21 10 (1)
2016– Curaçao 68 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:05, 11 January 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 (UTC)

Leandro Jones Johan Bacuna (born 21 August 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right-back for TFF First League club Iğdır FK. Born in the Netherlands, he was a former youth international for them, before switching to represent the Curaçao national team at senior level. He is their joint most-capped player along with Eloy Room.

Club career

Groningen

On 30 October 2009, Bacuna made his first team debut for Groningen in an Eredivisie match against PSV.[3] Bacuna has also played for Groningen's youth teams. On 6 November 2009, he scored his first goal for the first team in a league match against Heracles Almelo, an eventual 4–1 victory for Groningen.[4]

Aston Villa

It was announced on 13 June 2013 that Bacuna had signed a three-year contract with Premier League club Aston Villa. Handed the number 7 shirt, Bacuna impressed many with his debut season for the Villains, despite constantly playing out of position at right back.[5][6] Bacuna scored his first Premier League goal on 28 September at home against Manchester City. His second goal came from a free-kick in the claret and blues' 2–0 victory over Cardiff City. He continued his goalscoring run with goals against West Bromwich Albion, Everton and Norwich. [citation needed]

In the 2014–15 season, Bacuna found it harder to break into the starting line-up, starting just one game in the Premier League. On 15 February 2015, he scored the first of two Villa goals in the fifth round of the FA Cup in a 2–1 win over Leicester City, taking the club into the quarter-finals.[citation needed]

On 20 August 2015, Bacuna signed a new long-term contract with the club.[7]

Reading

On 13 August 2017, Bacuna moved to Reading, signing a four-year contract.[8] He scored his first goal for Reading in an EFL Cup tie against Millwall on 22 August 2017.[9]

Cardiff City

On 31 January 2019, Bacuna moved to Premier League side Cardiff City, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal for a transfer fee believed to be around £3 million.[10][11] On 10 June 2022, Cardiff announced Bacuna would leave the club when his contract expired on 30 June.[12]

Watford

On 14 December 2022, Bacuna signed for Championship club Watford on a contract until the end of the 2022–23 season.[13]

Iğdır FK

On 6 January 2026, he was transferred to Iğdır FK, signing a one and half year contract.[14]

International career

Born in the Netherlands to parents of Afro-Curaçaoan descent, Bacuna played for the Netherlands Antilles under-20 side, as well as various youth Dutch teams. He received his first Curaçao national team call-up in March 2016,[15] earning his first cap in a 1–0 loss to Barbados.[16]

Personal life

He is the older brother of fellow professional football player Juninho Bacuna.[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 January 2026[18][19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Groningen 2009–10 Eredivisie 20 2 2 1 — 2[a] 0 24 3
2010–11 Eredivisie 24 0 3 0 — 4[a] 2 31 2
2011–12 Eredivisie 32 7 1 0 — 0 0 33 7
2012–13 Eredivisie 33 5 3 0 — 2[a] 0 38 5
Total 109 14 9 1 — 7 2 125 17
Aston Villa 2013–14[20] Premier League 35 5 1 0 2 0 — 38 5
2014–15[21] Premier League 19 0 4 1 1 0 — 24 1
2015–16[22] Premier League 31 1 2 0 2 0 — 35 1
2016–17[23] Championship 30 1 1 0 0 0 — 31 1
2017–18[24] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 116 7 8 1 5 0 0 0 129 8
Reading 2017–18[24] Championship 33 1 3 0 2 1 — 38 2
2018–19[25] Championship 26 3 0 0 2 0 — 28 3
Total 60 4 3 0 4 1 — 66 5
Cardiff City 2018–19[25] Premier League 11 0 0 0 0 0 — 11 0
2019–20[26] Championship 41 1 2 0 0 0 2[b] 0 45 1
2020–21[27] Championship 41 2 1 0 1 0 — 43 2
2021–22[28] Championship 15 1 0 0 0 0 — 15 1
Total 109 4 2 0 1 0 2 0 114 4
Watford 2022–23[29] Championship 14 0 1 0 0 0 — 15 0
Groningen 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 33 1 5 0 — — 38 1
2024–25 Eredivisie 31 4 2 1 — — 33 5
Total 64 5 7 1 — — 71 6
Bandırmaspor 2025–26 TFF First League 19 6 0 0 — — 19 6
Iğdır FK 2025–26 TFF First League 1 0 1 0 — — 2 0
Career total 491 40 35 7 10 1 9 2 540 46
  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Eredivisie play-offs
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs

International

As of match played 18 November 2025[30]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Curaçao 2016 6 4
2017 9 1
2018 5 4
2019 11 2
2021 8 2
2022 5 1
2023 6 0
2024 7 1
2025 11 1
Total 68 16
As of match played 13 November 2025. Curaçao score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bacuna goal.[30]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 7 June 2016 Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao 4  U.S. Virgin Islands 4–0 7–0 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification
2 5 October 2016 5  Antigua and Barbuda 1–0 3–0
3 11 October 2016 Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico 6  Puerto Rico 2–2 4–2
4 4–2
5 10 October 2017 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar 15  Qatar 1–1 2–1 Friendly
6 26 March 2018 Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao 17  Bolivia 1–0 1–0
7 10 September 2018 18  Grenada 4–0 10–0 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualification
8 7–0
9 12 October 2018 IMG Academy, Bradenton, United States 19  U.S. Virgin Islands 3–0 5–0
10 5 June 2019 Chang Arena, Buriram, Thailand 22  India 3–1 3–1 2019 King's Cup
11 21 June 2019 BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States 25  Honduras 1–0 1–0 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
12 28 March 2021 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 33  Cuba 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13 5 June 2021 Estadio El Trébol, Guatemala City, Guatemala 34  British Virgin Islands 3–0 8–0
14 6 June 2022 Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras 41  Honduras 1–0 2–1 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League A
15 9 September 2024 Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada 53  Saint Martin 3–0 4–0 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B
16 13 November 2025 Bermuda National Stadium, Devonshire Parish, Bermuda 67  Bermuda 1–0 7–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Aston Villa[31]

Curaçao[31]

References

  1. ^ "Barclays Premier League Squad Numbers 2013/14". Premier League. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Premier League Player Profile Leandro Bacuna". Barclays Premier League. 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Cookies op VI.nl".
  4. ^ Holland, Æresdivisionen – Politiken.dk Archived 27 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Groninger Bacuna wordt collega van Vlaar in Engeland". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 13 June 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Bacuna tipped to be "a real asset" after sealing Villa transfer". AVFC. 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Leandro Bacuna: New long-term Aston Villa deal for Dutchman". BBC Sport. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Bacuna joins the Royals!". Reading F.C. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Reading 3–1 Millwall". BBC. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Deadline Day: Bacuna is a Bluebird". Cardiff City F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. ^ Blanche, Phil (31 January 2019). "Leandro Bacuna signs in £3m deal from Reading". The Independent. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  12. ^ "2021/22 Retained List | Cardiff". www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Official: Bacuna Signs On". www.watfordfc.com. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Alagöz Holding Iğdır Futbol Kulübü". X. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Aston Villa defender Leandro Bacuna gets first senior international call-up for Curacao".
  16. ^ "Villans on international duty – Part One". 28 March 2016.
  17. ^ "Ook tweede Bacuna wint de beker" (in Dutch).
  18. ^ Leandro Bacuna at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Leandro Bacuna". Soccerbase. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  26. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Games played by Leandro Bacuna in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Bacuna, Leandro". National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  31. ^ a b "Leandro Bacuna – Career Honours". Soccerway.
  • Leandro Bacuna at National-Football-Teams.com
  • Leandro Bacuna at Soccerbase
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