For now, these are only transfer rumors, but perhaps never more than at this moment has the future of Rafael Leão at Milan been uncertain. The Portuguese player’s attitude and behavior in recent weeks have not pleased either those at Milanello or the club offices on Via Aldo Rossi, and for this reason his departure at the end of the season cannot be ruled out. In the event of a sale, the Rossoneri would have to return to the market in the summer to replace him, and as reported by 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', one profile that Milan are monitoring very closely is Antonio Nusa, a forward born in 2005 who plays for RB Leipzig and the Norwegian national team.
Nusa's Career:
Antonio Eromonsele Nordby Nusa was born on April 17, 2005, in Norway to a Norwegian mother and a Nigerian father. From a footballing standpoint, he took his first steps with the local team Langhus IL before moving at the age of 13 to Stabæk. After impressing everyone in the youth teams, in 2021 he signed his first professional contract at just 16 years old (“It’s wonderful. It shows that the club has great faith in me. Today is a big day,” he said at the time). In May of that year, he made his first-team debut, making 13 appearances and scoring three goals before transferring to Club Brugge in August. He stayed in Belgium for three seasons (86 appearances and seven goals) and then moved to RB Leipzig during the summer transfer window of 2024. With the German club, he has so far made 63 appearances and scored eight goals.
Goal on Champions League debut:
Despite his very young age, Nusa has already played 25 matches in European competitions, including twelve in the Champions League. His debut in Europe’s top club competition came on September 13, 2022, in Porto vs. Club Brugge (0–4), an occasion he celebrated by scoring a goal (the fourth). He became the first player born in 2005 to score in the Champions League.
National team:
After progressing through all the Norwegian youth teams, Nusa quickly reached the senior national team, where he has become a regular fixture. Italian fans remember well what Antonio did in the two matches against Italy in the qualifiers for the next World Cup: a goal in the first leg in Norway and another in the return match at San Siro. In those two games, the young forward was a real nightmare for the Italian defense.
The 'chaos' and Neymar
Over the years, Nusa has been compared to several high-profile players such as Takefusa Kubo, Noni Madueke, and Lamine Yamal, although his true role model has always been Neymar. In a 2021 interview with Aftenposten, the Norwegian explained why the Brazilian is his idol: “I like to create chaos. Neymar is my role model because he creates chaos on the pitch with his dribbling, just like me. He is one of the best in the world.” It is therefore no coincidence that his nickname is the “Norwegian Neymar.”
Curiosity:
In another interview with Aftenposten, Nusa shared a very interesting anecdote: since he was a child, every year he has written down his goals and ambitions in football on small pieces of paper to “keep himself in line” and track his progress. The young Norwegian talent said that this childhood ritual helped him greatly in shaping his mindset.
Failed transfer:
Despite his very young career, there has already been a difficult moment: it was January 2024, and Brentford were ready to pay more than €30 million to sign him from Club Brugge, but the move collapsed after medical tests revealed issues with cartilage in his knee and his back. “I was afraid that something was wrong with my body. Those were difficult times, but in the end it wasn’t really a problem. That’s what we discovered,” Nusa said about the incident. After the scare, his career continued at Club Brugge and, from that summer onward, at RB Leipzig.
Technical characteristics:
Given his nickname “Norwegian Neymar,” it is easy to imagine that his main strength is dribbling: Nusa constantly looks to take on defenders one-on-one, and being ambidextrous makes his moves very hard to predict. From a tactical point of view, he performs best starting from the left wing. If there is one area he absolutely needs to improve, it is his finishing ability, because so far, despite his obvious quality, he has scored far too little. This was relayed by Milan News.
