[3] 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.

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.