Milan, Leao scores, dribbles and even assists

Ball to him and something combines. This is how it has always and forever been, because the nature is that of the tightrope walker who lights up and creates, who points the man and stings. Rafael Leao is a 10 who plays on the outside. He wears 17, smiles when he brings the ball and rejoices miming a surfer: “Every now and then they miss the wave, but then they get back on the board and do well. It’s my way of being”. A thought that made him great in every area. Test, continuity, performance. Leao is Milan’s top scorer with 13 goals this season. But, in particular, he has become the undisputed king of offensive production in the league. Devil’s best scorer: 10 goals, the only Rossoneri in double figures. And, since yesterday, best man assists: with the two from Verona in Tonali he rose to 6, overtaking Hernandez (5).

Trust

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To wake up it took a few slaps in the face. Pioli gave him a couple, another Ibra, even if Zlatan said that the credit belongs only to him: “He didn’t run, I tried to tell him but nothing, then in the preseason he exploded by himself”. Never as decisive as this year. In Serie A no one dribbles like him, while in Europe he is fourth behind Saint-Maximin, Adama Traoré and Mbappé, standard-bearers of the double pass. The assist for Giroud against Lazio, as well as those of Bentegodi, are the manifesto of his game. Dribbling, cross country and cross. Thiago Fernandes, his first coach in Lisbon, sensed his abilities after about ten minutes: “The first time I saw him he was 12. Match 8 vs 8, he takes the ball on the left, jumps four players and scores a goal. ‘This is a phenomenon, where did it come from?’ … “. If it wasn’t for him they would have discarded it after a few months. Rafa didn’t train well, he was listless. Thiago took him under his wing and convinced him to bring out all of himself: “I even hosted him at home. Once he forgot his passport before going on tour, but I never had any doubts”. Not even Milan.

A crack

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Maybe the Rossoneri have a potential crack of 80-100 million in their hands, who knows. Meanwhile, right now it is worth at least 70. With the Scudetto on the chest certainly several more, but the mood it’s more or less the same for now. Look but don’t touch. Change of ownership or not, Leao will be one of the first stones on which to build the Milan to come. The spearhead of a team of talents (him, Tonali, Theo…). This is the year in which he has scored the most goals in his career, the one in which he has served the most assists, the one in which he has created the most scoring chances. He has a contract until 2024 and a draft agreement until 2026, to be formalized once the dispute between Lille and Sporting is concluded (decision expected shortly), a matter that fully involves him too. The Rossoneri are missing four points to celebrate the Scudetto. Atalanta and Sassuolo are the last steps before returning to the flag. Eleven years ago, in 2010-11, Leao was a young talent of the “greens” who bewitched everyone by jumping 4 players. Basically, not much has changed.