Capello praises ‘irrepressible’ Leao: “He’s worth the price of the ticket”

Fabio Capello was full of praise for Rafael Leao after the Champions League game that took place between AC Milan and Dortmund last night.

Milan were held to a 0-0 draw by their hosts in Germany but they had the better of the chances, particularly in the second half when Leao got going with his surging runs down the left and through the middle.

Capello covered the game live on Sky and he spoke about the performance of the Portuguese winger, who has drawn some criticism because of the fact he didn’t manage to get a goal or an assist.

“He is a player who I have criticised when he stands still and doesn’t work hard, but he is the one who makes the difference. Three scoring opportunities given to his team-mates. Once they didn’t give him the ball back, when perhaps he could have shot on goal,” he said (via Radio Rossonera).

“In any case he is the player who rocks the game, he is irrepressible. It’s a pleasure to watch him play. I believe that when one goes to watch a Milan match and Leao plays like he did against Borussia Dortmund, he sees something truly high level.

“He’s worth the price of the ticket. There are those things that stay inside you. He has an ease of running that seems like Nureyev [who was a famous dancer and choreographer] with the ball.”

It is a stark contrast to the comments that Antonio Cassano made on Bobo TV in which he did not hold back his criticism of Leao, something the player himself then responded to in a mocking fashion on social media.