Southampton’s Leo Scienza has been a glimmer of hope in the Saints ranks this season, a man idolized and adored by the whole fanbase.
While the Brazilian didn’t quite get the match-winner that his goal deserved to be, his goal and celebration against fierce rivals Portsmouth was a moment that truly cemented him as a cult hero on the red half of Hampshire.
The goal came in a period of the game where the Saints were under some pressure.
But when you have a player like Scienza, one chance is all you need – and oh, how he did take it.
On an Instagram story, Scienza wrote:
“In the first half, I went there [to the Portsmouth fans] to get a ball, got spit on, got pulled, and they throw the ball away just for fun. Then I scored a goal, also wanted to have some fun and just give them the same “love” back. Fair play.“
The kind of hero Southampton fans wanted this season, and got.
Scienza goes into the history books of Southampton players who have scored against rivals Portsmouth in the south coast derby, which has taken place 73 times.
A goal that, at the time, looked like a potential match-winner, will certainly be remembered by Saints fans for years to come.
The Southampton winger has played just 23 matches for the club, but is already a fan favourite, and many young fans bring signs asking for his shirt each week.
Now, after a much-coveted goal in the south coast derby, Scienza is certainly a cult hero at the club.
But he’ll have to stick around a while longer if he truly wants ‘legendary’ status.
Southampton are guaranteed to face plenty of suitors for Scienza this summer.
The Brazilian, in the prime of his career, could be an excellent coup for a Premier League side, where he openly wants to play. And Saints are a club very used to reselling players for much larger fees than they were originally signed for.
But the Southampton faithful won’t want to be parting ways with their beloved winger so soon – their valuation is set to be extremely pricey, whether they achieve promotion in this campaign or not.
Fans would happily see off the rest of the squad before letting their beloved Scienza go.
