Pedro Pablo León García (29 June 1943 – 9 May 2020), also known as Perico León, was a Peruvian professional footballer who played as a striker.

Career

León made 49 appearances for the Peru national team between 1963 and 1973. He then started in the 1970 FIFA World Cup for the Peru national football team, along with Teófilo Cubillas, Roberto Challe and Hugo Sotil. At club level, León played most of his career for Alianza Lima in Peru. He also played in Ecuador for Barcelona Sporting Club and in Venezuela for Deportivo Galicia.

Playing style

Perico León was a strong striker of playful skills and a unique ability to effectively use the score with his head. His ability to create technical plays often allowed him to go back and aid his teammates, thus making him quite a complete player with the possibility to serve as both a good midfielder and an excellent forward. Due to this, Pedro Pablo León is often considered one of the best forwards in the history of Peruvian football.

Personal life

He lived in Miami, Florida, and enjoyed watching his grandson Brian Jair León play soccer for the Varsity high school soccer team in Nevada. His grandson is following in his grandfather's footsteps of becoming a professional footballer.

Honours

Individual awards