Inter Miami forward Leonardo Campana named MLS Player of the Week after hat trick
Leonardo Campana, the 21-year-old Ecuadorean forward, has been vacationing in Miami since he was a child. When he signed with Inter Miami a few months ago, he said:
“This has been my second home my whole life, so I’m very excited for this project and very happy to be in Miami. For me, Miami is the best city in the USA. The people are amazing, and I can’t wait to be in the stadium with them and score goals for them.”
He is keeping his promise. Campana on Monday was named Major League Soccer Player of the Week after scoring all three goals in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the New England Revolution. It was the first hat trick in club history.
Campana, who was starting in place of Gonzalo Higuain, has scored all four of the team’s goals from the field of play through six games this season. Higuain scored two on penalty kicks.
He is the third Miami player to earn the weekly honor, joining Higuain and Rodolfo Pizarro, who were honored last season.
Campana is on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers of the English Premier League. He has been a key player for Ecuador’s youth and senior national teams and is aiming for a spot in the 2022 World Cup.
Campana’s family is steeped in Ecuadorean sports history.
His father Pablo was a professional tennis player and became a politician and businessman upon retirement. His great grandfather Gabriel won six Ecuadorian league medals in the 1920s. His mother Isabel Romero Noboa is the daughter of Isidro Romero, the former president of Ecuador’s Barcelona Sporting Club, and Isabel Noboa Pontón, who is one of the most successful businesswomen in Latin America.
Campana, who is comfortable in Spanish and English, holds American citizenship from his mother’s side.
When he was signed, Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said: “We’re excited to acquire a player of Leonardo’s pedigree. He’s a hungry young forward with a lot of promise, and we’re confident we’ll be able to develop him and help him reach his full potential with us. He’ll add to our attack and give us a great option up front and we believe he can score goals in this league.”
Inter Miami (1-4-1) plays at Seattle on Saturday at 10 p.m. (FS1)
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 4:16 PM.