| Leo Lombard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Leonardo Lombard | ||
| Date of birth | (2006-10-05)5 October 2006 (age 18) | ||
| Place of birth | Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Original team(s) | Broadbeach (QAFL) /Gold Coast Suns Academy (Talent League) /Burleigh Bombers (QFA) | ||
| Draft | No. 9,2024 AFL draft | ||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward/Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2025– | Gold Coast | 0 (0) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Source:AustralianFootball.com | |||
Leonardo Lombard (born 5 October 2006) is a professionalAustralian rules footballer who was selected by theGold Coast Suns with pick 9 in the2024 AFL draft.[1]
Lombard was born on theGold Coast into a family with aCuban father and an English mother. He attendedVarsity College throughout his upbringing and took part in their ASPIRE AFL excellence program with future Suns teammateJake Rogers.[2] Lombard's father,Héctor, is a professionalmixed martial artist who competed in theUltimate Fighting Championship[3] and a formerly competed as anOlympicjudoka who represented Cuba at the2000 Sydney Olympics. His father introduced him toBrazilian jiu-jitsu at six years of age[4] and Lombard was considered a promising prospect years later when he claimed a gold medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2017 and was crowned the under-12 BJJ Australian Open champion in 2018.[5] He also began playingAustralian rules football at eight years of age for theBurleigh Bombers and excelled as a junior footballer, which was rewarded with an invitation to join theGold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age.[6]
Lombard later admitted he only played football "for fun" on the side and was focused on pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, until the greater levels of development opportunities provided by the Suns Academy convinced him to quit Brazilian jiu-jitsu and chase a career in the AFL.[7] Lombard progressed his way through the Gold Coast Suns Academy junior grades earning representative honours along the way such as being selected in the 2022 U16 All-Australian team.[8] In 2023, he was selected to represent the victorious Allies team as a bottom ager in theU18 National Championships alongside future AFL teammatesJed Walter,Ethan Read,Jake Rogers andWill Graham.[9] Lombard capped off his 2023 season by taking part in theGold Coast'sVFL grand final winning side at 16 years of age.[10] He returned to the U18 National Championships a year later and was awarded theLarke Medal as the best performed Division I player in the country as well as selection in the starting U18 All-Australian team.[11]
Lombard was drafted to his hometownAFL club, theGold Coast Suns, when they decided to match a pick 9 bid fromSt Kilda at the2024 AFL draft.[12]
