Leandro Bacuna

#8 · Midfielder · age 34 · (VC)

Senior pro, ex-Aston Villa & Cardiff; switched from Netherlands youth to Curaçao

Club

Iğdır FK

Turkey · 1. Lig

Caps

Intl goals

WC26 rating

high confidence

Recent form: 53
Career peak: 71
League level: 62
Competition pedigree: 24
International pedigree: 86
Longevity: 66

Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.

Career by season

Season	Club	Competition	Apps	Gls	Ast	Rating
25/26	Iğdır FK	Trendyol 1.Lig	35	9	4	6.94
24/25	Football Club Groningen	Eredivisie	31	4	3	—
24/25	Football Club Groningen	KNVB Beker	2	1	0	—
23/24	FC Groningen	Eerste Divisie	33	1	6	7.17
22/23	Watford	Championship	14	0	0	6.55
21/22	Cardiff City	Championship	15	1	0	6.43
20/21	Cardiff City	Championship	42	2	1	6.67
19/20	Cardiff City	Championship	41	1	2	6.59
18/19	Cardiff City	Premier League	11	0	0	—
18/19	Reading	Championship	26	3	3	6.90
17/18	Reading	Championship	34	1	3	6.84
15/16	Aston Villa Football Club	Premier League	31	1	0	—
15/16	Aston Villa Football Club	FA Cup	2	0	0	—
14/15	Aston Villa Football Club	Premier League	19	0	5	—
14/15	Aston Villa Football Club	FA Cup	6	1	1	—
13/14	Aston Villa Football Club	Premier League	35	5	1	—
13/14	Aston Villa Football Club	FA Cup	1	0	0	—
12/13	Football Club Groningen	Eredivisie	33	5	1	—
12/13	Football Club Groningen	KNVB Beker	3	0	0	—

Source: transfermarkt + sofascore · fetched 2026-05-29

Bacuna and his brother Juninho form the central spine of a Curaçao midfield that has to stay compact and break quickly. He won’t try to outrun Wirtz or Caicedo through 90 minutes — his job is to organise, deliver set pieces and produce one or two long-range moments that can win a match the team is otherwise losing the possession battle in.

Strengths

set-piece delivery
long-range right-footed shooting
tactical experience
midfield organisation

Recent form

Played regular minutes in Turkey's TFF First League through 2025-26.

His younger brother Juninho is also in this Curaçao squad — making them one of only a handful of brother-pairs at the 2026 World Cup.