Leo Gaxha
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonardo Gaxha | ||
| Date of birth | 27 July 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Tralee, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dundalk | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2018 | Tralee Dynamos | ||
| 2018–2022 | Sheffield United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023 | Kerry | 35 | (7) |
| 2024 | Galway United | 8 | (0) |
| 2024 | Athlone Town | 12 | (4) |
| 2025– | Dundalk | 18 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Republic of Ireland U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2019 | Albania U18 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 30 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 August 2019 | |||
Leonardo Gaxha (born 27 July 2002) is a footballer who plays as a forward for Dundalk. Born in Ireland, he represented Ireland and Albania at youth international level.
Early life
[edit]Gaxha was born on 27 July 2002 in Tralee, Ireland and grew up in Tralee, Ireland.[1] Born to Albanian parents who moved to Ireland in 1999, he has a younger brother.[2]
Club career
[edit]As a youth player, Gaxha joined the youth academy of Irish side Tralee Dynamos. In 2018, he joined the youth academy of English side Sheffield United, where he befriended Ireland international John Egan.[3] Ahead of the 2023 season, he returned home to Tralee, signing for his local League of Ireland First Division club Kerry, where he made thirty-five league appearances and scored seven goals.[4] In 2024, he signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side Galway United, where he made nine league appearances and scored zero goals. The same year, he signed for League of Ireland First Division side Athlone Town, where he made fifteen league appearances and scored four goals. Subsequently, he signed for recently relegated League of Ireland First Division club Dundalk in 2025.[4] He scored 6 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions up to 23 June 2025, when he suffered an Anterior cruciate ligament injury in a 1–0 defeat away to Finn Harps that ended his season prematurely.[5]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 23 June 2025[6]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kerry | 2023 | LOI First Division | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | – | 37 | 7 | |
| Galway United | 2024 | LOI Premier Division | 9 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| Athlone Town | 2024 | LOI First Division | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| Dundalk | 2025 | LOI First Division | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | 21 | 6 |
| Career total | 74 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 85 | 17 | ||
- ^ Appearances in the 2024 League of Ireland First Division Promotion Playoffs
- ^ Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
References
[edit]- ^ "Kerry match special for Gaxha". The Argus. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Leo Gaxha: 'He shouted we should head back to our own country - I was shocked'". Irish Examiner. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "Former Blade Leo Gaxha living in the moment on his return home to Kerry FC". Irish Independent. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ a b Leo Gaxha at Soccerway
- ^ Newberry, Niall (June 30, 2025). "McDaid set to sign as Dundalk bolster squad ahead of run-in". www.dundalkdemocrat.ie.
- ^ "Summary - Leonardo Gaxha - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.