Rafael Leao's renewal did not take place before the World Cup tournament in Qatar. The plans of Paolo Maldini did not go as he wanted initially, and he admitted to that recently. Speaking about the Portuguese winger, Sky Sport Italia's journalist Manuele Baiocchini highlighted that the former Lille star has a great opportunity to showcase his talent at an even bigger scale if he does succeed at shining with the Portugal national team in Qatar:
"(Diogo) Jota's injury has opened the doors of a starting place for Leao. It's a special moment and I think the Portuguese fans are waiting for him as a starter, as a protagonist and as a star. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that he is one of the first strikers in the world, even if he has already done so by entering the list for the Ballon d'Or."
