Milan forward Rafael Leao was a guest on Fabio Fazio’s show “Che tempo che fa” on Nove to present his book: “Smile. My life between football, music, and fashion.”
The Portuguese footballer addressed the incident during the match against Udinese on January 20, where play was interrupted for several minutes in the first half due to racist chants directed at teammate Mike Maignan by some Udinese supporters: “He was very nervous, didn’t want to play anymore; it wasn’t the first time such a situation occurred. We stood by him, went to the locker room with him. It’s something we have to fight against on the field. All players and clubs should fight racism. I want to thank Milan for stopping the game in the last match at the 16th minute. We have to fight racism.”
ROSCONERO IN THE HEART
On his relationship with Milan: “Have I ever thought of leaving? No. I had my difficulties at the beginning; when you arrive here, it’s different from television. Maldini helped me a lot; I want to say hello to him. He called me before I arrived at Milan; I couldn’t say no to him. Has he scolded me? Yes, of course. He’s a strong personality, demanding, but he helped me grow as a person. Do I miss him? Yes, definitely.”
IBRA’S RETURN
Leao then talked about Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s recent return to Milan, now serving as a consultant for RedBird and its CEO Gerry Cardinale since December 11: “He’s the same as always, hasn’t changed even as an executive. I would have liked to play more with him; he’s an incredible person. Milan did very well to keep him with us; we always have one more with him. Mentally, he’s incredible.”
THE FIRST SCUDETTO IS UNFORGETTABLE
Leao expressed his feelings about winning the Serie A title in 2022 with Milan, the first of his career: “I will never forget it. When we were on the bus, there was a beautiful atmosphere; we knew it was our day. The arrival in Piazza del Duomo was incredible, one of the most important moments of my career.”
