Portugal’s Rafael Leão speaks “great pride” to play for Milan, praises Zlatan influence
Rafael Leão has been speaking on social media about life with AC Milan, as well as the impact veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic is having on him at San Siro.
The 20-year-old former Sporting striker joined the Rossoneri from French side Lille last summer in a deal wort €35m plus bonuses and Portuguese defender Tiago Djalò. Although Leão is yet to find consistent form in Serie A, there remains much hope placed on the youngster’s shoulders and the step up has cleared left an impression on him.
“I never thought that I would be stepping onto a field like that at 20 years old,” he told an online interviewer. “A club that won six Champions Leagues. Every time I walk on that pitch, it is a great pride. I had teammates [as a youth] who had great quality, who could have done it and they didn’t. They don’t have the life of a footballer. Thank God I have a father, a mother, a family that wanted me to focus on football. I haven’t achieved anything yet and I already receive messages from kids, for whom I am an idol.”
Perhaps Leão’s most famous teammate is Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who returned to Milan earlier this year for a second stint at the club. The pair, who have an 18-year age difference, have formed a close bond both on and off the pitch which the younger half of the partnership describes as involving a degree of discipline.
“If you are not psychologically strong [working with Zlatan] will be difficult,” he says. “He is a strong personality; he has a huge reputation in Milan and many of the rest of us are young. In training he’s one person and then in a game he’s completely different. Because he knows he can be someone important and help Milan. He’s arrogant in a good way, he always wants to win. He’s very tough.
“He puts pressure on me. From the beginning he’s looked after me but on the other hand he’s hard on me. He gives me advice and says that I can be much better, that I can become a reference for Milan. I receive the advice like a son would from a father.”
By Sean Gillen