The last image we have of Rafael Leão is one of the most striking since he has worn the Milan shirt: the Portuguese forward running off the pitch in the 77th minute of the match against Udinese Calcio, with the Rossoneri trailing 0–3, making way for Ruben Loftus-Cheek amid a storm of whistles from Milan supporters. A quick embrace from Massimiliano Allegri, trying to console him, and then to the bench, where he would gloomily watch the rest of the match. Despite this, and despite the likelihood that on Sunday in Verona the team will return to a 3-5-2 system, the Rossoneri coach still believes in Rafa and will give him a chance to redeem himself.
Towards a starting role:
What 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' reports this morning is very clear: Rafael Leão will start again in Milan’s next match. The Rossoneri will play at the Bentegodi against Hellas Verona, who sit bottom of the league alongside Pisa. Most likely, Allegri will quickly shelve the failed 4-3-3 experiment and return to the 3-5-2. Although Rafa is not a natural centre-forward, Max trusts his number 10 and will deploy him as part of the front two, as he has often done this season. The Milan number 10 will have a double opportunity for redemption: to respond to the boos and to show he can adapt to another role. Alongside him, the report continues, the other major absentee of 2026 is expected back: Christian Pulisic, as relayed via Milan News today.
A paradoxical season:
If we rewind Rafael Leão’s season, a somewhat paradoxical picture emerges. The Portuguese forward has never been criticised so harshly by his own fans, or by the wider environment, yet statistically he is having a very interesting season in terms of scoring. Everything must be viewed in light of his physical condition, which has never truly been at 100% since the start of the year: Leão has the best goals-to-minutes-played ratio. He has scored 10 goals in 1,686 minutes across all competitions, making him Milan’s top scorer. And yet criticism continues to pour in, partly because he has not scored since 1 March, and partly because expectations for him are always extremely high.
