Rafael Leão

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Rafael Leão
Leão with Portugal in 2023
Personal information
Full name Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão
Date of birth (1999-06-10) 10 June 1999 (age 24)
Place of birth Almada, Portugal
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Left winger
Team information
Current team
AC Milan
Number 10
Youth career
2006–2007 Amora
2007–2008 Foot 21
2008–2017 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Sporting CP B 12 (7)
2017–2018 Sporting CP 3 (1)
2018–2019 Lille 24 (8)
2019– AC Milan 155 (42)
International career
2014–2016 Portugal U16 10 (2)
2015–2016 Portugal U17 11 (4)
2016–2017 Portugal U19 17 (5)
2017–2019 Portugal U20 8 (2)
2017–2021 Portugal U21 15 (1)
2021– Portugal 23 (3)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European U21 Championship
Runner-up 2021 Hungary–Slovenia
UEFA European U19 Championship
Runner-up 2017 Georgia
UEFA European U17 Championship
Winner 2016 Azerbaijan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:02, 17 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:18, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão (Portuguese pronunciation:

dribbling, speed and finishing, he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.[1][2]

Graduating from Sporting CP youth system, Leão made his first-team debut in 2018, winning the 2017–18 Taça da Liga, before unilaterally terminating his contract, following an incident involving a mob of ultras fans within the club's facilities. Shortly after, he joined for Ligue 1 side Lille on a free transfer. AC Milan signed him in 2019 for a reported fee of €35 million. In his third season at the club, he helped the team win the 2021–22 Serie A, which ended the club's 11-year league title drought. He was also voted Serie A Most Valuable Player and was listed among the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.

Leão is a former

Portugal youth international, representing his country at various youth levels, being part of the under-17 team that won the 2016 European Championship
. He made his senior international debut in 2021.

Early life

Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão

Lisbon Metropolitan Area.[4][5] The son of an Angolan father and a São Toméan mother who met in mainland Portugal, he was raised in Amora and has three siblings.[6] His paternal surname means "lion" in the Portuguese language.[6]

Club career

Sporting CP

Leão joined Sporting CP's youth system at the age of 9 after a brief spell in Amora and Foot 21.[6][7][8] On 21 May 2017, still a junior, he made his senior debut with the reserves, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring in a 1–1 away draw against Braga B.[9]

Courtesy of manager Jorge Jesus, Leão first appeared in the Primeira Liga with the first team on 11 February 2018, replacing Bryan Ruiz for the last 21 minutes of the 2–0 home win over Feirense.[10][11] On 2 March, having taken the place of injured Seydou Doumbia late into the first half, he equalised for the visitors a few minutes after taking the pitch but in a 2–1 away loss to Porto[12]– in the process, he became the club's youngest-ever scorer against that opposition.[13]

On 14 June 2018, Leão unilaterally terminated his contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal,

Sporting's training facility in Alcochete.[16][17]

Lille

Leão with Lille in 2018

On 8 August 2018, Leão joined French club Lille on a free transfer, signing a five-year deal.[18] Sporting CP would later dispute Lille's deal to sign the player, deeming the transfer "unacceptable", filing a complaint with FIFA and claiming the €45 million of his release clause.[19] At the beginning of September 2018, Leão wanted to terminate his contract with the club, after his transfer was not approved by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), due to sanctions imposed by the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), following Lille's financial difficulties.[20][21] After being convinced by his representative to stay at Lille, the DNCG validated Lille's pending contracts, including the contract of Leão.[22]

Leão made his competitive debut on 30 September 2018, replacing Loïc Rémy in the 78th minute, in a 3–0 home win over Marseille.[23] He scored his first Ligue 1 goal in only his second appearance, playing 67 minutes and helping the hosts defeat Caen in a 1–0 victory.[24] On 1 February 2019, he scored his sixth goal of the season and made an assist to Nicolas Pépé, his first for the club, in a 4–0 home win over Nice.[25]

During his spell, Leão scored a total of eight goals in 26 competitive games, being mainly used as a striker by Lille coach Christophe Galtier, and shared teams with compatriots José Fonte, Rui Fonte, Edgar Ié and Xeka, as they finished as runners-up in a brilliant 2018–19 Ligue 1 season.[26]

AC Milan

2019–21: Adaptation to Italy

On 1 August 2019, Leão signed a five-year contract at

Juventus, to help Milan to a 4–2 win, after being down by two goals. At the end of the season, he had scored six goals in 31 league matches, helping Milan to a sixth-place finish and a 10-match unbeaten streak.[32]

At the beginning of the

Sassuolo; the match ended 2–1 for his team.[35]

On 3 January 2021, he scored the second goal against Benevento in eventual 2–0 away win, becoming the second youngest foreign player (21 years and 207 days) to score more than ten goals for Milan in Serie A, after Alexandre Pato (19 years and 19 days).[36]

2021–22: Breakthrough and Serie A champion

AC Milan
in 2022

At the start of the

2021–22 season, on 29 August, Leão scored the first goal from a shot outside the box, in a 4–1 home victory against Cagliari at San Siro.[37] On 15 September, on in his UEFA Champions League debut, he provided an assist for Ante Rebić in a 3–2 away defeat to Liverpool;[38] and on 28 September, he scored his first goal in the competition in a 2–1 home loss against Atlético Madrid.[39]

On 9 February 2022, Leão opened the score sheet against

Lazio and assisted the second goal,[40] being directly involved in 14 goals in the season, surpassing his record during his career in Europe's the top 5 leagues.[41] Four days later, in his 100th appearance for Milan, he scored the only goal in 1–0 win against Sampdoria, which put Milan in the top of the league table.[42][43] On 25 February, he scored his eighth league goal of the season against Udinese, in an eventual 1–1 draw, becoming in the process the second player to score in each of the seven days of a week in Serie A with AC Milan, after Andriy Shevchenko.[44][45]

On 1 May, Leão scored the winner in a 1–0 win against Fiorentina, becoming the youngest Portuguese to score at least 10 goals in a single Serie A campaign.

Sassuolo 3–0 away from home to win their first Serie A title in eleven years.[49] At the end of the season, Leão was awarded the Serie A MVP award for the 2021–22 season, finishing the campaign with 11 goals and 10 assists.[50] Leão also established himself as one of the best dribblers (186) in Serie A and the 3rd best among European players after Vinícius Júnior (210) and Allan Saint-Maximin (205).[51][52]

2022–23: Champions League semi-finals and contract extension

Leão appearing for AC Milan in a Serie A match against Lecce during the 2022–23 season

Leão started the

Sampdoria.[55] During this time, in October, Leão was one of the 30 candidates who was nominated for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, being placed 14th place in the voting polls, the highest Portuguese player ranked in the voting list.[56] Later that month, Leão was named Serie A Player of the Month.[57]

On 2 April 2023, Leão scored a brace in a 4–0 away win over league leaders

Atalanta in the 2007–08 season.[58][59] On 18 April, he provided an assist to Olivier Giroud following a solo run, to be later named player of the match,[60] in a 1–1 away draw against the same opponent in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, which secured his team's progress to the semi-final, by winning 2–1 on aggregate, for the first time since the 2006–07 season.[61][62] Being injured and withdrawing from the semi-final first leg against Inter, he played in the 1–0 second leg loss and witnessed arch-rivals booking a place in the Champions League final for the first time since 2010.[63]

Two days before the 2022–23 season final round, Leão extended his contract with AC Milan until 2028.[64] According to various columnists and reporters, the financial details of his contract include an annual income of €5 to €7 million per season (depending on add-ons), a €1.5 million signing bonus and a €175 million release clause that can be activated only during the summer transfer windows.[65][66][67][68] Previous Leão's club Lille also kept a sell-on clause and an interest throughout a future transfer deal.[69][70] Furthermore, the French side agreed to help the deal along and pay €19.6 million, out of a total €20.6 million fee, as a compensation to Sporting CP whereas Leão paid the remaining one million, for the termination of his contract with them. A payment AC Milan committed to refund to Lille up to 90% of the overall amount.[70][71][72]

2023–24: Number 10 shirt

Prior to the

Paris Saint-Germain on matchday four of the group stage of the Champions League on 9 November, which later helped them qualify to the Europa League knock-out round play-offs, after they finished third in their group, although Leão missed their last group stage matches due to a hamstring injury.[77][78]

International career

Youth

With the Portugal under-17s, Leão participated in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. In this competition, he played five out of six matches, not playing against the Netherlands in the semifinals. In the finals against Spain, Leão replaced Domingos Quina in the 79th minute; Portugal went on to win the competition for the sixth time, following a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory after a 1–1 draw in extra-time.[79]

With the

South Africa, though his side did not advance from the group.[81]

On 10 November 2017, aged only 18, Leão won his first cap for the Portugal under-21 side, playing 31 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Romania for the 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[82][83] He scored his first goal at that level on 10 September 2019, in a 2–0 victory in Belarus for the 2021 European Championship qualification campaign.[84] In March 2021, Leão took part in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, helping Portugal finish as runners-up, after losing in the final 1–0 to Germany.[85]

Senior

Leão during a group stage game against Uruguay at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

On 5 October 2021, Leão was called up to the senior team for the first time, as a replacement for the injured Rafa Silva.[86] Four days later, he made his international debut, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at half-time and providing the assist for André Silva's goal in a 3–0 friendly defeat of Qatar.[87]

In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[88] being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament.[89] On 25 November, Leão scored his first international goal, closing Portugal's 3–2 group stage win against Ghana.[90] Leão followed with a second World Cup goal on 6 December when he sealed of Portugal's 6–1 thrashing of Switzerland in the round of 16.[91] Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 1–0 to Morocco.[92][93]

Player profile

Style of play

Leão is regarded as a skillful and technical player, capable of playing on either flank, due to his versatility. Standing 1.88 metres (6 ft 2 in) tall,[94] Leão is a tall and lean player who has a burst and speed to match, making him a dynamic forward.[95] Having developed as a centre-forward at youth level and during his season at Lille, he offers a dynamic presence in the forward line. He stretches and disrupts defences with his movements, with and without the ball.[95] Leão is a prolific and proficient dribbler; he drives from deep and then overtakes players in one-on-one situations around the box with maneuvers and changes to his speed.[95] He is also capable of creating chances and providing assists for teammates from the left due to his vision.[95] Inside the penalty area, he uses dribbles and movement to get into good positions.[95] Leão has also been played as a striker because of his composure and eye for goal.[95]

Rafael Leao scoring a goal against Lecce in Serie A

During his managerial spell at Milan, Stefano Pioli deployed Leão as a supporting striker or a winger on either side of the pitch, rather than an out-and-out striker.[96] Operating primarily on the left-hand side of Stefano Pioli's 4–2–3–1 system, Leão gives Milan a creative spark in wide areas where he particularly is involved in one-on-one situations, with his direct style of attacking, allowing him to aggressively accelerate past the defenders, where he can create big chances and engineer good shooting opportunities for himself, as opposed to dribbling past an opponent. Due to his pace, he is effective at exploiting space and attracting multiple defenders from the opposition towards him.[97][98] Club teammate Fikayo Tomori describe him as "fast, he’s strong, he can dribble, he can head the ball, he’s tall. He’s got everything".[99]

Reception

Leão drew comparisons to French player

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.[102] Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes, stated Leão reminds him of Brazilian footballer Ronaldo "with his speed, technique and explosiveness in decisive moments, being qualities that have emerged every game to drag Milan towards great results.”[103]

At times, Leão had been criticized for lacking consistency in his performances, unwillingness to participate in the defensive play, as well as unnecessary flamboyance while in possession of the ball; former AC Milan and Italy national team coach Arrigo Sacchi, while acknowledging the player's individual talent, called Leão a liability to the AC Milan team as a collective.[104]

Personal life

Leão is also a rapper and releases his music under the name WAY 45.[105][106]

In addition to his native Portuguese, Leão is fluent in English and Italian as well as French since his stint at Lille.[107][108]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 March 2024[109]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting CP B 2016–17
LigaPro
1 1 1 1
2017–18 LigaPro 11 6 11 6
Total 12 7 12 7
Sporting CP 2017–18 Primeira Liga 3 1 0 0 1[b] 0 4 1
Lille 2018–19 Ligue 1 24 8 2 0 26 8
Milan 2019–20 Serie A 31 6 2 0 33 6
2020–21 Serie A 30 6 2 0 8[b] 1 40 7
2021–22 Serie A 34 11 4 2 4[c] 1 42 14
2022–23 Serie A 35 15 1 0 11[c] 1 1[d] 0 48 16
2023–24 Serie A 25 4 2 2 9[e] 4 36 10
Total 155 42 11 4 32 7 1 0 199 53
Career total 194 58 13 4 33 7 1 0 241 69
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, Coppa Italia
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  5. ^ Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 16 October 2023[110]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2021 3 0
2022 13 2
2023 7 1
Total 23 3
As of match played 16 October 2023
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leão goal.
List of international goals scored by Rafael Leão
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 November 2022 Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar 12  Ghana 3–1 3–2 2022 FIFA World Cup
2 6 December 2022
Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
, Qatar
15   Switzerland 6–1 6–1 2022 FIFA World Cup
3 26 March 2023 Stade de Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 18  Luxembourg 6–0 6–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

AC Milan

Portugal U17

Portugal U19

Portugal U21

Individual

Records

  • Fastest goal ever scored in the Italian
    2020–21 season.[117]

References

  1. ^ Karlsen, Tor-Kristian (27 November 2022). "Why every club wants to sign Portugal and AC Milan forward Rafael Leao". ESPN. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ "FC 100 best men's soccer forwards, 2022-23". ESPN. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019: List of Players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2019. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Rafael Leão è un nuovo giocatore del Milan". Serie A (in Italian). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Rafael Leão" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Pousset, Maxime (19 February 2019). "Rafael Leão, cœur de lion". LOSC (in French). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Poderá Rafael Leão vir a ser a nova estrela do Sporting?" [Can Rafael Leão be Sporting's next star?]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  8. ^ "RAFAEL LEÃO »» Do futebol de rua nas Paivas à sua passagem pelo Amora" [RAFAEL LEÃO »» From street football at the Paivas to Amora spell]. Jornal de Desporto (in Portuguese). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  9. ^ "COMENTÁRIO: Sporting B empata com Braga B e impede terceiro lugar aos minhotos" [COMMENT: Sporting B draw with Braga B and prevent minhotos from finishing third]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 21 May 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  10. ^ Marques Simões, Rui (11 February 2018). "Leões vencem Feirense com dois golos tardios" [Lions beat Feirense with two late goals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  11. ^ ""Rafael Leão tremia por todo o lado"" [«Rafael Leão was shaking all over the place»]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 11 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  12. ^ Tavares Silva, Hugo (2 March 2018). "A lei de Brahimi" [Brahimi's law] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Sporting não venceu o clássico, mas Rafael Leão fez história" [Sporting did not win classic, but Rafael Leão made history] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  14. ^ Rico, Carolina (14 June 2018). "Rafael Leão rescinde contrato com o Sporting. É o nono" [Rafael Leão terminates contract with Sporting. Going nine] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  15. ^ ""Andava comigo na escola." Rafael Leão identifica agressor de Alcochete "pelos olhos"". TSF Rádio Notícias (in European Portuguese). 5 February 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Rafael Leao: The Lille forward dubbed the 'Portuguese Mbappe'". BBC Sport. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Jogadores e treinadores do Sporting espancados em Alcochete". www.cmjornal.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Rafael Leão au LOSC" [Rafael Leão to LOSC] (Press release) (in French). Lille OSC. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  19. ^ "le Sporting Portugal déclare la guerre au Losc" [Sporting Portugal declares war on Losc] (in French). Le Point. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Rafael Leão voudrait déjà résilier avec le LOSC!" [Rafael Leão would already like to terminate with LOSC!] (in French). Foot Mercato. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  21. ^ "Rafael Leão rescinde com o Lille" [Rafael Leão terminates his contract with Lille] (in Portuguese). Público. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  22. ^ "Official - DNCG validates the 4 LOSC contracts, including Rafael Leão". Madeinfoot.com (in French). Made in Foot. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  23. EuroSport
    . 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  24. ^ Lafont, Romain (28 October 2018). "Leao rugit, Lille déroule" [Leao roars (pun on player's name, "Lion" in Portuguese), Lille unwind]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  25. ^ "Résultat et résumé Lille - Nice, Ligue 1, 23e journée". L'Équipe (in French). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Un renfort offensif nommé Rui Fonte" [An attacking addition called Rui Fonte] (in French). Lille OSC. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  27. La Voix du Nord
    (in French). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  28. ^ "Transferts : Rafael Leao quitte Lille et s'engage avec l'AC Milan". L'Équipe (in French). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  29. ^ "AC Milan come up short against Udinese". A.C. Milan. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  30. ^ "AC Milan 1–3 Fiorentina". BBC Sport. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Rafael Leao (AC Milan) ordered by the CAS to pay 16.5 million euros to Sporting". L'Équipe (in French). 19 March 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  32. ^ "Stefano Pioli: AC Milan boss signs new two-year contract". BBC Sport. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  33. ^ "Milan-Spezia 3-0: Hernandez between Leão's brace" [Milan-Spezia 3-0: Hernandez in mezzo alla doppietta di Leão] (in Italian). Eurosport. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  34. ^ Fallisi, Marco (29 October 2020). "Questo Milan non sbaglia un colpo: tris allo Sparta Praga ed è già fuga" [This Milan doesn't miss a beat: three of a kind at Sparta Prague and it's already an escape]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Leao scores fastest goal in Serie A history". Football Italia. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  36. ^ Greaves, Russell. "Benevento 0-2 Milan: Pioli's men top again despite Tonali red".
  37. ^ "Giroud double fires AC Milan to win over Cagliari". ESPN. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  38. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 September 2021). "Liverpool 3–2 AC Milan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  39. ^ "AC Milan vs. Atlético Madrid (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  40. ^ "AC MILAN v Lazio". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  41. ^ "AC MILAN V LAZIO: THE STATS FROM THE WIN IN THE COPPA ITALIA". acmilan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  42. ^ "AC MILAN V SAMPDORIA: THE STATS FROM THE GAME". acmilan. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  43. ^ "AC MILAN WIN TO GO TOP". acmilan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  44. ^ "ROSSONERI HELD TO A DRAW". acmilan. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  45. ^ "AC MILAN V UDINESE: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". acmilan. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  46. ^ "AC MILAN V FIORENTINA: ALL THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". ACMILAN. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  47. ^ "Le pagelle di Tonali: siamo a livelli extraterrestre, leader del Diavolo a 22 anni". MilanNews. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  48. ^ "HELLAS VERONA V AC MILAN: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". ACMILAN. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  49. ^ "Giroud double in win at Sassuolo helps fire Milan to first Serie A title in 11 years". The Guardian. 22 May 2022.
  50. ^ a b "MVP Serie A 2021/2022 – Rafael Leao Best Overall". Serie A. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  51. ^ "GdS: Leao the dribbling king in Serie A and among the best in Europe - the numbers". SempreMilancom. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  52. ^ "European Leagues Football Players Statistics 2021/2022". one-versus-one.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  53. ^ Simões, Miguel (27 August 2022). "Rafael Leão marca e assiste no regresso do AC Milan aos triunfos". NoticiasAoMinuto.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  54. ^ Gambino, Simone (3 September 2020). "Milan-Inter 3-2: Leao da un altro pianeta, il Diavolo è ancora il top". Goal (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  55. ^ Del Vecchio, Manuel (11 September 2020). "Sampdoria-Milan, espulso Leao: salterà il Napoli". Milan News (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  56. ^ "Rafael Leão supera Ronaldo na Bola de Ouro. Veja a classificação dos portugueses". TSF. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  57. ^ a b "Rafael Leao Wins September's Goal of the Month Presented by Crypto.com". Serie A. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  58. ^ "Napoli 0-4: AC Milan: Runaway Serie A leaders humbled at home as Rafael Leão stars". Eurosport. 2 April 2023.
  59. ^ "Napoli 0–4 AC Milan". BBC Sport. 2 April 2023.
  60. ^ "Player of the Match: Rafael Leão highlights". UEFA. 19 April 2023.
  61. ^ "WATCH: Stop that Rafael Leao! AC Milan star sets up Olivier Giroud after incredible run to put Napoli on brink of Champions League elimination". Goal.com. 18 April 2023.
  62. ^ "Napoli 1–1 AC Milan". BBC Sport. 18 April 2023.
  63. ^ Iveson, Ali (16 May 2023). "Inter 1-0 AC Milan (3-0 on aggregate) - Lautaro Martinez adds final flourish as Inter reach Champions League final". Eurosport. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  64. AC Milan
    . 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  65. ^ Proch, Daniele (2 June 2023). "Portuguese Star Rafael Leao Inks New Deal With AC Milan". Forbes. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  66. ^ Romano, Fabrizio [@FabrizioRomano] (2 June 2023). "Rafa Leão signs new long term deal with AC Milan valid until June 2028" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  67. ^ "Il Milan blinda Leao fino al 2028, è ufficiale: "Rinnovo per vincere, sono molto felice"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  68. ^ Baiocchini, Manuele (2 June 2023). "Milan, Leao rinnova fino al 2028: "Sono molto felice, qui per vincere molto"". Sky Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  69. ^ Laudisa, Carlo (11 May 2023). "Milan-Leao fino al 2028, con maxi clausola rescissoria. Decisiva la volontà di Rafa". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  70. ^ a b "AC Milan: le LOSC sort gagnant du litige Leao avec le Sporting". RMC Sport (in French). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  71. ^ Lafont, Romain (11 May 2023). "Lille et l'AC Milan ont trouvé un arrangement pour Rafael Leao". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  72. ^ "Milan, oggi è il Leao Day: tutto pronto per il rinnovo". Gianluca Di Marzio (in Italian). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  73. ^ "Official: Leao changes name and number on AC Milan shirt". July 2023.
  74. ^ "The 9 Greatest Players to Wear AC Milan's Number 10 Shirt". 18 March 2020.
  75. ^ "ROMA 1-2 MILAN: OLIVIER GIROUD PENALTY AND RAFAEL LEAO OVERHEAD STUNNER MAKE IT THREE WINS FROM THREE FOR ROSSONERI".
  76. ^ "Leão captain in Milan-Verona". 23 September 2023.
  77. ^ "Milan come from behind to beat PSG 2-1 and earn first Group F win". Reuters. 8 November 2023.
  78. ^ "Returning Leao Boosts Milan's Champions League Mission Impossible Attempt". Asharq Al-Awsat. 12 December 2023.
  79. ^ a b "Portugal win second U17 EURO title on penalties". UEFA. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  80. ^ a b "European Under-19 Championship: England beat Portugal in final". BBC Sport. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  81. ^ Fernandes, Mariana (25 May 2019). "Portugal vence Coreia do Sul na estreia no Mundial Sub-20 com golo de Trincão" [Portugal beat South Korea in opening game of the Under-20 World Cup with goal by Trincão]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  82. ^ Andrade, David (10 November 2017). "Portugal empata na Roménia e complica apuramento" [Portugal draw in Romania and make qualification harder]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  83. ^ "Roménia S21 1–1 Portugal S21" [Romania U21 1–1 Portugal U21]. Sapo Desporto (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  84. ^ "Portugal vence Bielorrússia e sobe à liderança do Grupo 7" [Portugal defeat Belarus and climb to first in Group 7]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  85. ^ a b "Highlights, report: Germany beat Portugal for third U21 EURO title". UEFA.com. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  86. TVI 24
    . 5 October 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  87. ^ "Portugal 3–0 Qatar – Diogo Costa, Matheus Nunes & Rafael Leão make their Seleção debuts". PortuGOAL. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  88. Sportskeeda
    . Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  89. ^ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  90. ^ Garcia, Adriana (24 November 2022). "Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first male player to score in 5 World Cups". ESPN. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  91. ^ "Portugal 6–1 Switzerland". FIFA.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  92. ^ "Morocco 1-0 Portugal: World Cup 2022 quarter-final – as it happened". The Guardian. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  93. ^ "Ronaldo equals men's international appearance record". FIFA.com. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  94. ^ "Rafael Leão". A.C. Milan. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  95. ^ a b c d e f "Rafael Leão". 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  96. ^ Del Vecchio, Manuel (25 July 2020). "Pioli su Leao: "Ha un potenziale incredibile. Oggi è entrato bene ma può fare di più"" [Pioli on Leao: "He has an incredible potential. He came on well today but he can do better"] (in Italian). Milan News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  97. ^ "Rafael Leão: Milan Star Is Just Getting Started". 16 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  98. ^ "Raphael Leao 2021/22: A breakthrough season for AC Milan's newest superstar – scout report". 31 May 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  99. ^ "Rafael Leao: The hip-hop forward with a surfer's mindset who is interesting Chelsea". 5 October 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  100. ^ "'Better than Cristiano Ronaldo' – Rafael Leao sensational form no surprise to former coach". Goal. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  101. ^ "Jorge Jesus compara Rafael Leão a Jordão e faz revelação: "Nos treinos dá cabo do Piccini e do Coates"" [Jorge Jesus compares Rafael Leão to Jordão and makes revelation: "He kills Piccini and Coates in training"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  102. ^ "Is Rafael Leao really the new Henry? Ibrahimovic's 'little brother' finally realising potential at AC Milan".
  103. ^ "Fernandes: Leao reminds me of Ronaldo Fenômeno". 9 May 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  104. ^ "Rafael Leão holding Milan back – Rossoneri legend Arrigo Sacchi".
  105. ^ "Inside Portugal star's booming music career".
  106. ^ Reilly, Nick (27 April 2023). "Meet Way45, the rap alter-ego of AC Milan superstar Rafael Leão". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  107. ^ "Naples-Milan: la séquence hilarante de Leão qui ne comprend pas l'accent de Carragher et provoque un fou rire". RMC Sport (in French). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  108. AC Milan
    (in Italian). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  109. ^ Rafael Leão at Soccerway
  110. ^ "Rafael Leão". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  111. ^ "Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years". News18 India. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  112. ^ "Rafael Leao EA Sports Player Of The Month for October". Serie A. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  113. ^ "Rafael Leao EA Sports Player Of The Month for April". Serie A. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  114. ^ "Leao "EA Sports Player Of The Month" for September". Serie A. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  115. ^ a b "Milan pigliatutto, premiati Pioli, Maldini e 4 giocatori. Leao il migliore: "Qui sono maturato"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  116. ^ "Gran Galà del Calcio: tutti i vincitori della serata LIVE". Sky Sport (in Italian). 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  117. ^ "Blink and you'll miss it – Rafael Leao scores fastest goal in Serie A history".

External links