The Portuguese has scored again in Serie A after 5 months. Pioli praised him: ‘It was his best game; he must believe in himself.’
Eighty-six touches. We can start from here to tell Rafael Leao’s story. For a forward, even if he plays on the wing, it’s a lot. To put it in perspective: the last time he played ninety minutes, (against Napoli), he had 47 touches. Let’s start with this number – also his season record – because it shows how much Rafa was involved in the game.
But this time, the discussion needs to be expanded immediately. That is, how much Leao is part of this Milan. Whether yesterday’s game will be the watershed between the old and the new Rafa will be told in the coming weeks, but two things are absolutely certain. One: this was one of his best games since he started playing for Milan. Two: we’re not just talking about a performance for its own sake, as luxurious as it may be, but about overall attitude.
DECISIVE AGAIN
Leao was unquestionably the leader of Milan this time. He took the team by the hand with his bursts of energy and pushed them forward with his approach. The team drew energy from him. He spurred his teammates on, called for the support of the crowd with grand gestures, had four shots, made eight crosses, and won eleven duels (out of sixteen).
This is exactly what Pioli and the Rossoneri world ask of him. To become a complete player, both in physical prowess and mental acumen. Because then goals like these are paradoxically relative: everyone knows he’s capable of them. When Leao scores, it’s much more likely to be beautiful goals, sometimes magnificent.
With this goal, he reached 50 goals in the top five European leagues and matched Rui Costa for second place among the top Portuguese scorers in Serie A (obviously, Ronaldo leads with 81 goals).
