Rafael Leao fends off criticism and responds in kind to haters

Back in goal against Como forty days after his previous goal (which was worth another 1-1 draw, that against Genoa at San Siro), AC Milan number 10 Rafael Leao tried to respond on the field to the criticism he received especially on social media, from people who impute to him an’excessive “carefree” attributing it as the main cause of performances they say are disappointing. The Portuguese, incidentally, returned to the subject himself speaking to CBS Sports, in the podcast ‘Kickin’ it’.

“I am not going to change. The smile always on my face I had even as a child, it is my thing: if I did not smile I would not be Rafael Leao. Those who criticize me do so because they know my qualities and are very demanding, but I certainly cannot change the way I am, I have been this way for 26 years” explained Leao, who is living his seventh season at AC Milan and this year, in the league, he has already reached the number of goals scored last year, eight, with a smaller number of assists, however (two compared to eight last year).

Francesco Lucivero

The Portuguese soccer player also talked about his new role on the field. Massimiliano Allegri, in fact, deploys him as a second forward if not as the main reference of the offensive sector: “I was ready for anything before the start of the season. When the coach told me where to play I prepared myself properly. Besides, playing further forward gives a chance to score more. D’on the other hand, soccer is about numbers and if you want to be among the best you necessarily have to score more goals and make more assists”.

Leao also spoke about the derby, which is getting closer and closer, describing the feelings he has every time the extracittadina arrives: “You can&#8217t leave the house in the days leading up to it, it&#8217s a crowd week. It is the most important game of the season, a matter of life and death. Even after the game, everyone will talk about it for weeks. Playing the derby is incredible”.

Jointed to AC Milan in the summer of 2019 after a couple of seasons at Lille, Rafael Leao contributed to the success of the Scudetto in 2022 (being elected MVP of Serie A 2021-2022) and the 2024 Italian Super Cup, played in January 2025 in Saudi Arabia and won in the final against Inter’s own side 3-2, coming back from 0-2.