Milan star Rafael Leao was named Serie A Player of the Season, but he is not in the starting XI as Portugal open their World Cup campaign against Ghana.

It kicks off at 16.00 GMT and elsewhere in Group H, Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw by South Korea.

The Rossoneri know that Leao has increased his profile in recent months, earning interest from the likes of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

His agents stalled contract extension talks, hoping that he would impress at the World Cup in Qatar and further increase his salary and transfer demands.

However, Leao has not done enough to win over the coach and is only on the bench when Portugal begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana.

The 23-year-old has 11 senior caps for his country, in which he provided three assists, but no goals, and only made three starts.

He made his debut in a 3-0 friendly win over Qatar in October 2021.

A player who is included in the starting XI is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently a free agent after Manchester United terminated his contract by mutual consent.

Portugal: Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Danilo, Rúben Dias, Guerreiro; Rúben Neves, Otávio, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes; João Félix, Ronaldo

Ghana: Ati Zigi; Seidu, Djiku, Salisu, Amartey, Salisu, Baba; Kudus, Partey, Abdul Samed, A Ayew; Williams

6 thought on “Milan star Rafael Leao snubbed by Portugal in World Cup”
  1. He and Messi may be competing for G O H T (greatest of his time) neither will be GOAT.

    Not sure I would choose Ronnie over Leao at this point. Maybe the gaffer is worried Ronnie’s next interview will be about him?

  2. Well, that didn’t go our way. They sub in Leao 2 goals in less than 5 mins, and he gets the winner. We will have to find some deep pockets to keep him.

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