Milan forward Rafael Leao has recently opened up on his experiences in Serie A and relationship with his teammates, revealing that his ex-colleague Zlatan Ibrahimovic would only speak to him if he hadn’t played well.
Leao was a recent guest on the 19F podcast, joined by Juventus striker Moise Kean. The Portugal international spoke in depth about his childhood, time at Sporting CP and life in the Rossoneri dressing room.
Ibrahimovic, who is expected to rejoin Milan in a new role behind the scenes, was an important figure in Leao’s development as he implied. Though often shown the cold shoulder, Leao said that he had learned a lot from the former Serie A talisman.
“When I played well, he wouldn’t speak to me. Only when I played badly,” Leao said on the podcast.
“He concentrated on the details a lot, he wasn’t interested in dribbling. Sometimes he would tell me: ‘Rafa, you have to control it like this and immediately take it towards the goal. With your talent, you can’t make mistakes with a touch like that.’”
Soon afterwards, Leao was asked who his closest friend from the Milan squad is.
He replied: “(Ismael) Bennacer. I’ve got a great relationship with him, he’s my brother.”