Off the back of becoming Serie A MVP and one of Europe’s most exciting attacking talents, Rafael Leão has added responsibility to lead Milan in 2022-23 following a noisy summer transfer window for the Portuguese star, writes Matt Santangelo.
Since pulling on the red and black shirt, Rafael Leão had often teased and flirted with quality that lent at least a morsel of credibility to former Sporting academy coach Tiago Fernandes’ appraisal of the forward being better than Cristiano Ronaldo at a youth level.
Brimming with talent, the Portuguese forward entered 2021-22 as a raw player who would show bolts of brilliance in the attacking third.
A tantalizing, mesmeric dribbler who seldom shied away from taking his man on, it was his battle with consistency to finish his attacking manoeuvres with purposeful decision-making to generate goals for himself and those around him. Then, everything seemed to click for the bright-eyed winger.
With the efficient dribbling, the sharp attacking edge, and the confidence to do it all while wearing a smile on his face, Leão’s performances throughout the campaign were paramount to Milan lifting the league title for the first time since 2011. Posting double-digit goals and assists, the 23-year-old’s showing on the final match day away to Sassuolo punctuated what would become an MVP-winning season.
In 2021-22, Leão had officially arrived as a world-class mainstream talent who Milan could build the entire attack around for many years. But by becoming the league’s best player and agent, Jorge Mendes requesting a handsome wage hike as part of any renewal talks, the man with the €150 million release clause now bears more responsibility than ever to carry the lion’s share of the attacking duties.
So far, through four matches (and despite one goal) Leão is struggling to build off the scintillating finish to last season that made him a household name.
Opposing sides have adjusted their tactical approach to containing Leão, overloading his flank to congest the space in which he thrives in and forcing the supporting cast to beat them. As a result, there has been noticeable frustration shown by Leão who looked less committed to pressing and fighting to win the ball back.
After Milan split the spoils with Atalanta in Bergamo a couple of weeks ago, Arrigo Sacchi explained to La Gazzetta dello Sport that Leão “was invisible.”
“It seems to me that sometimes he is lazy, we need to work on the psychological aspect so that he can make the most of things.”
Arrigo Sacchi
Leão has it all to be one of the game’s top players, evident in his recent Ballon d’Or shortlisting. But there is that mental component that he mustn’t let interfere with him from staying engaged throughout the course of 90 minutes. He has an undeniable quality to decide matches solely on his own, but once he switches off, he can get phased out from making an impact.
For the sake of the club’s title defence and taking the next leap on the European stage, Leão must understand the weight he holds as a top player and what comes with that. Milan made a wise decision by keeping him at San Siro despite Chelsea’s interest. Ahead of Saturday’s derby with Inter, Pioli insisted that the ex-Sporting starlet has always had an exemplary attitude during the last few weeks and never thought he could leave. Now, it’s up to the player to elevate his game to levels that justify the lofty renewal demands.