AC Milan's left-winger Rafael Leao, has given a long and interesting interview to the magazine 'GQ Italia'. The Portuguese talked about music, his book, and also about Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as Paolo Maldini. Here are his words.
On the city of Milan:
"The beautiful thing about this city and my musical journey is that it has introduced me to people like Capo Plaza, Sfera Ebbasta, Lazza. I've ended up in the studio with them several times, and we've definitely talked about music, my music. They've always been very kind and given me a lot of good advice, but then I think, since we're not talking about football, there are other topics to address. With them, for example, I often talk about living in Milan, what it's like to be in Milan. Also because some of them grew up here."
On writing a book, Leao said:
"One of the things people often tell me, from kids to older guys who may be a few years older than me, is that they would like to reach my level, not necessarily in football, but in their field, in their passion. They would like, in short, to make their dream come true. I did it, I was very good and very lucky, in some way I wanted to give back some of my luck. So in my book, I hope people can find a message to not give up, to pursue the goal or, once achieved, not to look back or not to slow down on the path. I hope it can be useful."
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini, Leao said:
"The two helped me, especially Zlatan, when I was already grown up, when I arrived at Milan. Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously my idol. But the only people I've looked up to since I was very young have been my mother and father, my family."
On the collaboration with PLEASURES:
"I'm very happy with this collaboration. It also seems to me that Milan is the right team, at the moment, to do certain things: we are a very young team, very colourful, we are a symbol, just like the details on the shirt. And then I'm excited about the idea of being able to wear it not only on the field, but also around."
Again on the city of Milan, Leao said:
"Milan is a beautiful city, I didn't think it was so welcoming. It took me a while to adapt, about two years, but because I didn't speak Italian well. That was the only obstacle. Then for me, it's perfect, the climate is very similar to Portugal. I also like that when it's cold, you feel the cold. Like now. If someone my age moved here now, I don't see where they could go wrong. You can do a lot of things, there are many restaurants, you can buy and get passionate about anything. It's certainly not a boring city. Of course, I also have to say that the fundamental thing is perhaps finding the right people to live it with, that's fundamental. If you surround yourself with people who are not right, the risk of getting lost, of getting distracted, is high..."
On the music he listens to:
"I listen to everything. Obviously mainly rap and trap, but I've realized that any genre can influence me, maybe I listen to a song that has a particular melody and that comes to mind in the studio, it helps me write. The reality is that what made me decide that was my favorite genre are the lyrics. They're all lyrics that talk about how important it is to never give up, to always stay strong."
Leao concluded:
"For me, music is fundamental, not just making it. I live alone here in Milan, so it's my company all day. As soon as I wake up there's music, when I go to training there's music, even in the locker room there's music, by the way, now I'm also among the teammates who can select the playlist more than others... Music for me is worth more than a sound, it's a background."
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