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Factbox on Leonardo, who announced on Friday that he is leaving AC Milan after less than a year in charge.

Born: September 5, 1969 in Niteroi, Brazil

PLAYING CAREER

- An attacking midfielder who occasionally played striker, Leonardo started at Brazil's Flamengo in 1987 before moving to Sao Paulo, Valencia and then back to Sao Paulo.

- Having made his Brazil debut in 1990, he was selected for the 1994 World Cup but an elbow incident involving U.S. player Tab Ramos led to a long suspension and he missed Brazil's triumph in the final.

- A stint in Japan with Kashima Antlers then followed but he returned to Europe with French club Paris St Germain in 1996 for a season, before moving to Milan for four years where he won the Serie A title in 1999.

- He played every game for Brazil at the 1998 World Cup and ended up with 60 caps and 18 goals.

- Leonardo retired in 2003 after more short spells at Sao Paulo, Flamengo and Milan.

TV WORK, MILAN TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

- Leonardo speaks five languages including Japanese. He worked for the BBC as a pundit at the 2006 World Cup.

- He became a scout for Milan and was instrumental in bringing over several Brazilians including striker Alexandre Pato.

- After being considered for a similar job at Premier League club West Ham United, he was named Milan technical director in 2008 and became coach on May 31, 2009 after Carlo Ancelotti's decision to leave.

TORRID YEAR

- Under pressure from the beginning and with little managerial experience, Leonardo was not helped by his fractious relationship with Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

- A third-placed finish in Serie A and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League was not enough to save Leonardo's job and the Brazilian and Milan parted ways.

Eurosport