Rafael Leao is one of the hottest properties in Europe right now,
but if you think you know him, think again because we’re bringing you 10
things you didn’t know about the AC Milan forward, including his ongoing court case.
First of all, did you know that Leao could have played for two different national teams? He was
born in Portugal to Angolan parents so he could have represented any of those two
countries on the international stage. But he chose his country of birth and debuted
for them in 2021, essentially ruling out the possibility of playing for Angola.
Anyway, Leao has been playing football since he was a kid. He joined Sporting
CP’s academy at the tender age of 9 but it didn’t end well for him there.
He was there for 10 years between 2008 and 2018, and in May 2018,
something really terrible happened that made him leave the club for good.
A mob of about 50 Sporting supporters attacked the players and staff of the club right on the club’s
training facility, and it led Leao to terminate his contract with the club the very next month,
parting ways with them permanently. He was just 19 years old, but he was very sure
about such a huge decision which he knew would have a huge impact on his career.
And he didn’t only leave Sporting, he left Portugal in general,
moving to France to play for Lille that same summer.
In France, he came so close to terminating his contract just a month after signing it
due to his contract not being approved by the league because of Lille’s financial
difficulties at the time. But it was eventually approved and he remained at Lille for one year.
In August 2019, AC Milan then signed him for 35 million euros, and do you know how he celebrated
after scoring his first ever goal for the Italian giants? By mimicking a phone call.
You might think it meant nothing, but it actually did mean something. When asked
about the celebration, Leao explained that it was his dad he was pretending to call,
and it dates back to his days at Sporting CP.
Back then, when his dad could not attend a game and he ended up scoring,
Rafael would call him after the game and tell him he scored a goal. So, after scoring his first
goal for a huge club like Milan, Leao decided to do that celebration in tribute to his dad.
Fast forward to 2022 when Milan won the Scudetto for the first time in over a decade,
Leao’s dad was right there in Milan to celebrate with his son. Such a beautiful moment that was.
And you know what else is beautiful? His name. His name means “heart of a lion”, and you have
to say that the name has guided him through his career. He has made some really huge and brave
decisions both on and off the pitch and they have led him to huge achievements at such a young age.
One of those huge achievements being scoring the fastest goal in Serie A history. No, scratch that.
He scored the fastest goal that has ever been scored in the history of Europe’s top 5 leagues.
It was a game against Sassuolo back in December and Leao scored
just 6 seconds into the match. For context, that goal Mbappe scored for
PSG which is the fastest in Ligue 1 history was scored after 8 seconds.
And that’s not the only record Leao holds. He holds another pretty interesting one for
his club. He has scored on every single day of the week for AC Milan. The only
other person to have managed this in the club’s history is their legend,
Andriy Shevchenko. Leao really is in great company, isn’t he?
He’s still young, though, and has a lot to do to become a true great. However,
some people think that he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo was at this stage. Oh yes!
Tiago Fernandes, a man who worked with Rafael Leao at the Sporting CP academy – a club which Ronaldo
also played for – told L’Equipe that, at the same stage, Leao is a better player than Ronaldo was.
Those are very huge claims, and we want to know what you guys think about it in the comments.
Anyway, others have been a little more modest when comparing him to other players. Pioli and
Capello said he reminds them of Thierry Henry, Jorge Jesus said he reminds him of Rui Jordao,
while many people have likened him to France’s captain calling Leao the Portuguese Mbappe.
Having said all this, you might be wondering who the boy himself looks up to. Well, it’s quite a
healthy list, you know. Of course, Ronaldo makes the list. No surprises there at all. As a boy who
grew up in Portugal, Leao definitely watched Cristiano Ronaldo a lot in his younger days.
There are also little surprises with Neymar and Ronaldinho. Leao is a dribbler himself,
so it’s understandable that he looks up to the Brazilian masters of the art.
But here’s one that is a little surprising. Leao also mentioned Kylian Mbappe as one of his idols.
Yes, Mbappe is great already, but the PSG winger is only older than Leao by a year and half. How do
you idolize a dude who is practically your age mate? I guess that’s just how great Mbappe is.
But that’s not all for Leao’s list of idols. He also added Ibrahimovic to the list. He had
to because, according to him, Zlatan would have killed him if he didn’t. Typical Zlatan, isn’t it?
Anyway, if Rafael Leao wasn’t a footballer, what do you think he would have been? We
would say a fashion model or a musician. The boy is so big on fashion and music,
and he manages to combine both of them with his footballing career.
Belgian streetwear brand, Arte Antwerp, recently introduced their Spring Summer collection,
and guess who is modeling the brand for them! Oh yes, Rafael Leao. He fronts the
campaign of the brand’s second drop and he has his own section – Arte x Rafael Leao.
He also makes music under the name WAY 45. He has about 12 songs out
now including a 7-track EP which he released in 2021.
So, if he stops playing football today, you already know what
Leao would be doing. The only thing is he’s too good at football to stop now.
Now, there’s one last thing about Leao you need
to know. He has had an ongoing court case for some years now.
In March of 2020, Rafael Leao was ordered by the Court of Arbitration
for Sport to pay 16.5 million euros to his former club Sporting CP.
Why? Because he unilaterally breached his contract with the club.
Remember we told you earlier that he terminated his contract with the Portuguese club and joined
Lille in 2018. Well, Sporting did not like that at all. And to make matters worse,
they didn’t get any compensation, so they took Leao to court.
Sporting wanted 45 million euros initially, an amount which was equal to Leao’s release clause
while he was at the club, but the court ordered the winger to pay 16.5 million euros instead.
We don’t know if Leao has paid the money to his former club yet,
but from the look of things, that verdict is final and will be upheld.
Anyway, now that we all know Rafael Leao a little more,
get in the comments and tell us where you think he’ll be playing
next summer. In Spain? France? England? Or do you think he’ll remain in Italy? Let us know.
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