Rafael Leao, number 10 for Milan, was interviewed exclusively by Fabrizio Romano for Sport.xyz. Here are his statements (relayed from Milan News)
When do you feel it's the right moment to execute one of your moves and your dribbles?
"Instinct. Playing on the street with my friends, watching my idols like Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo, continuously trying them out on the field when I was younger. Now I'm trying to improve in my finishing. I feel like a forward, someone who needs to finish: in those moments, you have to stay calm and focused. I need to improve."
When did you first sense that your talent could be special? Leao answered:
"When I was 16-17 years old. Before that, I was at Sporting, I saw some of my teammates playing more than me. More minutes, more matches... And I thought, 'Why am I not playing?' Two years later, during the preseason, a coach came to me to say, 'Rafa, you can be whatever you want, but stay focused. I'll help you.' He helped me a lot, and that's when my growth began."
Have you received any advice from Cristiano Ronaldo? What was it like playing with him?
"It's not about talent, but mentality. How you prepare during the week. It's a pleasure, I'm proud to play with him in the national team. For us young players, there are many of us, it's a pleasure to have him in the national team and play with him. He's an example for everyone."
You seem to have a great relationship with the fans at San Siro... Leao replied:
"When I arrived, my first few games didn't live up to my qualities. I still felt the support. At the beginning, the coach (Giampaolo) didn't let me play, it was difficult for me. But I knew that coming to Milan there were many good players. I was young, still thinking about staying focused, improving, and learning every day, waiting for my chance. In my mind, I thought they knew what I could do, but I had to do even more because Milan is a historic club, they've won a lot of Champions Leagues and had a lot of legendary players. I had to show that I didn't just have talent, but also passion to play."
Is there anything in particular you want to improve?
"Finishing, I think I can score more goals. To be among the top, I have to score and be more decisive in front of the goal."
What impact has Zlatan Ibrahimovic had on your career?
"We talk about mentality during training... Things that may seem 'small' like ball control and passes: after a dribble, maybe I could have made a simple play, but I didn't. He helped me to be more focused in front of the goal, to shoot well. He helped me with two things: mentality and concentration. He knew that if I stayed focused during the game, I would make a huge difference. Sometimes I was nervous during the game, but not him, and he kept talking to me, telling me to stay focused, to keep going, and that the goal would come. When you have a teammate like him telling you things like that, it makes you feel comfortable."
How do you keep your passions alive beyond football without it negatively impacting your performance on the field?
"It's about timing. If you play on Saturday, certainly not on Friday or Thursday I'll do something else, like something about music, because the focus should be on the field. Instead, when the coach gives us, for example, two days off, I can do what I want. Sometimes on the field, things aren't going well, so I start writing about how I feel, about my life, and I start with music. It's a hobby, but also a place to go to be in my world, more Rafa and less Leao."
What does Milan have that other clubs don't?
"Everything. Stadium, fans, passion, the city. Everything, many things."
"Have you ever tried to convince someone to come to Milan? Leao commented:
"I was in the national team, I was talking to Cancelo. He played for Inter and he said to me, 'I like Milan, it's a nice club. When I played at the stadium against them, I felt the support and as a kid, I really liked them as a team.' So I said to him, 'Come' (laughs). He said it would be difficult, he was at Manchester City. I tried. The new era at Milan is based on young players with great talent, so... Cancelo is in the 'middle', he would have been perfect."
