Player Details

Name

Emmanuel Ledesma

Height

6' 0"

Weight

161 lbs

Date of Birth

5.24.1988 (36)

Birthplace

Quilmes, Argentina

Position

Midfielder

Position Detail

Winger

Preferred Side

Right

Footedness

Left
Career Summary

Option declined following 2019 season.

A well-traveled Argentine playmaker, Ledesma was the star of Cincinnati's third and final United Soccer League season, registering a sensational year in which he scored 16 goals and added 16 assists en route to being named USL Most Valuable Player. However, he could not reach those same heights in MLS -- 6 goals and 5 assists in 26 appearances during the 2019 expansion season. With the club seeking reinforcements in his position, Ledesma's contract option was declined heading into 2020 and after discussions on a new contract did not come to fruition, Ledesma announced he would not be returning.

OUTSIDE MLS: Ledesma’s professional career began in 2008, when he debuted with Queens Park Rangers of the English Championship on loan from Italian Serie A club Genoa. He spent the first four years of his career between Italian and English sides including QPR (2008-09), U.S. Salernitana 1919 (2009), Novara Calcio (2009-10), FC Crotone (2010) and Walsall (2011). In 2011, Ledesma had a loan spell with Argentine side Defensa y Justicia. The Argentine spent the next few years exclusively in England, where he played with Walsall (2012), Middlesbrough (2012-15), Rotherham United (2014-16), Brighton and Hove Albion (2015) and Brentford (2016). Ledesma concluded 2016 by playing a half season in Greece’s top division with Panetolikos. He made his debut in the United States when he played for the NASL’s New York Cosmos in 2017, followed by his USL stint with FC Cincinnati in 2018.