The Serie A Team of the Season was named at the Italian PFA Awards, including Rafael Leao, Dusan Vlahovic, Ciro Immobile and Nicolò Barella, with Leao as Player of the Season. ‘It is thanks to Stefano Pioli I became an important player.’
The awards ceremony, called the Gran Gala del Calcio, was held this evening in Milan and attended by the stars of Italian football and their families.
Milan dominated the awards after winning the Scudetto, including the titles of Team of the Year and Coach of the Year for Pioli.
There was also an ideal XI that was named in a 4-3-3 formation and again there was a heavy Rossoneri representation, specifically Mike Maignan, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao.
The biggest award of the night was also not a surprise, going to Rafael Leao.
“I want to thank my parents, it was my dream to win a trophy in front of them, I am very happy,” said the Portugal international, who today was also named 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
“When I came here, I was still a child basically, perhaps I didn’t understand quite how big Milan were and I didn’t know how to behave like a grown-up, but Pioli was very important for me, he made me become an important player.
“I have to thank everyone who work with him now that I am a man. The best thing was seeing all the fans in the streets celebrating the Scudetto, all of Milan was red and black.”
Elsewhere, Federico Gatti was named Serie B Player of the Season for his work at Frosinone, which earned a move to Juventus, while Daniele Orsato was Referee of the Season.
All the awards were voted for by the AIC, the Italian Players Association, so by their own peers.
Serie A Team of the Season
Maignan (Milan); Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Tomori (Milan), Bremer (Torino/Juventus), Theo Hernandez (Milan); Barella (Inter), Brozovic (Inter), Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio); Vlahovic (Fiorentina/Juventus), Immobile (Lazio), Rafael Leao (Milan)