Rafael Leao, backstory pops up on non-arrival at Benfica

“I had signed with Benfica, but they never came.”

Already at the center of criticism because he is coming off a period of form that is not exactly exhilarating, and with the renewal issue still on the high seas with the Rossoneri management, Rafael Leao indulged in an afternoon of reminiscing while speaking to broadcaster ‘Vice’ about his first steps in the world of soccer, when he was just a teenager.

“In front of the house there was a garden where I always played with the other children. I was always there playing. A person who worked for a club nearby saw me and asked me if I played anywhere. I told him no, but that my father was already looking for a club to start with. He told me to go to his club and do a couple of practices, then we would see. I went there, did a training session and started playing in that club, it’s called Mora,” the Rossoneri striker began.

“Three weeks later I signed with Benfica, but I didn’t have the chance to go to training because Lisbon was far away. They told me to be calm, that someone would come to accompany me to training every day. I signed with Benfica, waited a week: they never came. After seven days my father contacted them and said I was going to another club. I then went to Sporting, and then it all started from there… There were people close to me who said I could go far. I had the talent however then in training it was different. I liked soccer, but in my head I didn’t know where I could go in the future,” concluded the Lusitanian.