Alessandro Costacurta has suggested that Rafael Leao is currently the finished product and therefore he is not ‘fundamental’ to AC Milan.
Leao started on the bench for the third consecutive league game during last night’s win over Monza, and the situation is worrying the Milan leadership. He does not seem to have struck a good feeling with his compatriot Paulo Fonseca, with just one goal to his name this season.
A report earlier today even detailed that things are at an all-time low between the winger and the head coach, something that could lead to some evaluations regarding the future amid links with a number of the top teams around Europe.
Costacurta was a guest on L’Originale on Sky last night and was asked to what extent Leao’s potential has been expressed in his first five years at Milan, with his response relayed by Radio Rossonera.
“I think we’ve seen everything Leao is, 100%. For me, that’s what we’ve seen in these 5 years, that he can have good periods but in reality in the end he’s an important player, but not fundamental. If we then want to speak about putting him in a category, in my opinion he’s not a champion,” he said.
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Billy Costacurta has been consistent from the get go when it comes to Leao. He never bought the hype and was able from the beginning to see past the BS.
Supreme athlete, below average footballer.
Very athletic player, playing in relatively unathletic league.
Serie A makes him look way better than he actually is. That’s why he is doo doo in UCL or for the Portugal NT.
BTW, the same goes for Theo, too.
Nuno Tavares, a left back who couldn’t sniff the pitch at Arsenal, comes to Serie A and in 8 games has 8 assists.
I’m surprised no Serie A team wanted to sign Adama Traore last summer. In Serie A he’d give you the same numbers you get from Leao. Basically the same player. He is strong, can run fast past defenders and can’t score. Same player.
Despite his inconsistency, Leao has consistently average 29 goal contributions (goals and assists) per season. He led Milan to a 2021/22 Serie A title! What the hell are you talking about? Stop blabbing about things you don’t understand. Clown!
Leao is rubbish honestly
yep, his fan boys will come yapping about “trust” & “talent”. All he got is speed. He bossed the left flank in our scudetto season and now cannot evolve his game to handle being forced into enclosed spaces or being double marked. the stats last season and now don’t lie. his form has dimished and his class is debatable now – cos his attitude sucks.
he should not be given any special treatment because he is the highest paid player who happens to be the worst player on the pitch atimes.
Adama traore would have bossed the wings like him too, and he is much much stronger. we will now hope that 1 out of 10 crosses are accurate.
Some of these players still need mentoring. Regrettably, Leao and Hernandez appear to be different players after the departure of Maldini.
Sell the manchild – we can still get 60-70mil for him which will be useful in reinvesting in midfield!!
Same folks who p!ss on Leao now wanted Mike out of the club last season due to poor form but stay silent now since he’s saving our behinds from embarassements week in week out. Fantasy football dopers.
He has the talent. He’s missing the mentality. He’s a prima Donna. Personality is the one thing that cannot be fixed this late in life.
Wow…what a revelation mr Costacurta…
Come on, it took you some time to realize this reality too, Leao is not a champion, he lacks many qualities that would make him a top player, mainly he lacks mental attributes.
I took a lot of curses here on this site when I was among the first, if not the first, to criticize this lazy indolent de Leao who wastes his talent with his prima donna attitude. I began to criticize him and Theo harshly and many were unhappy with my criticism of the two “stars” but now it seems that more and more people are beginning to see what some of us began to see long ago, even “specialists” like Mr. Costacurta… late but better late than never…
What baffles me the most is his finishing in front of goal, always shooting into the stands& poor decision making,I don’t really know what does in training,he doesn’t have the zeal to be a ruthless and serious player we expected, the management are highly responsible for destroying Milan with the average foreign players they brought to the team ignoring the quality Italian players like chiesa, calafiori,no sense of belonging at all, Ruben Loftus cheek is not creative at all as well as Emerson Royal,Terraciano, Abraham were the poor signings so far
Costacurta you are disaster. You play with great players but you are nothing special.
Billy nothing special? I guess you were born after his retirement
I agree and not only that Costacurta has always been a gentleman in how he conducts himself and his interviews so his words should be taken seriously.
50 years from now people will still recognize the name Costacurta but no one will know wtf Leao was.
Costacurta was among the best defender. He is special to me and to all milanisti. You never see him play, and you say he’s nothing just because he said something you disagree with.
Has everyone forgotten what a champion is? It’s someone who wins. And Leao has already won the Scoudetto – with Milan. Therefore he is a champion. More champion than any of you will ever be. Probably not more chamion than Costacurta. But he still can’t say Leao isn’t a champion – because he is!
You are missing a point here because obviously Leao has won a championship which makes him a champion by definition as such. On the other hand the word champion can also be used as a description of character of a person who has great winning mentality and work ethics and always strives to become better and better and ultimately will pressure his talent to the max and never stop trying to improve.
Costacurta is referring to the latter and I think from the looks of it he is not wrong in that estimate in regard of Leao.
He doesn’t understand the word champion, the zeal to always want to win is the real being a champion ,not winning a trophy.
As expected from Leao’s fanboy, so dumb that cant even understand the context.
I’m not stupid. But I’m kind of a Leao fanboy. Doesn’t mean I don’t criticize him or acknowledge he could be better. I’m just defending his prior acheivement and saying he was actually a champion and a fundamental part of our team that won just three years ago. Therefore he is a champion. I just think the word shouldn’t be used in the sense he is when referring to a person who has alredy won something big and difficult.
With that said let me criticize Leao if that’s is what you want. He needs to get som self confidence. Shoot more and stop doing all those misplaced cut backs that the other teams have already read in yesterdays newspaper.
He also needs to take more unselfish runs, stop with his lazy floaters into the box when he think he has nothing else to do. He should pass and get a new position instead.
With that said. The team is quite horrible without him. Okafor is more of a supersub, just like Jovic. Maybe Okafor could be used as a nr 9 with Morata behind. But please let Leao play to the left and maybe sub him off in the 65 or something when the defenders and he is tired to get someone else on who can use that to their advantage.
Not sure why everyone is up Leao’s @$$ with criticism. What about the other half of the team that’s nowhere near Leao’s talent and doesn’t improve. What about those liabilities every time they come on?
Leao is his imperfect form still makes Milan more dangerous than than if he isn’t on. Stop trying to change him – he won’t.
Upgrade the rest of the team to the point of Leao becoming an actual weak link then we can talk about offloading him.
He wanted to be paid and treated like a superstar. Therefore he should perform as one too. Simple.
Please can u compare vinicius & Leao; vinicius was playing childish football back then, dats y coach zidane was benching him, he later upgrade is game and now plays with Hunger; that’s a true champion. But Leao will play as if dey are begging him. He shd upgrade his game, how old is he ; is he older than griesman?
Acmilan match against realmadrid in view Acmilan should play
Okafor, Reijnder, chukwueze I would advise Acmilan not be forward to play pulisic then musah,Fofana should play double pivot then we play thiaw, Pavlovic, Calabria and Theo this line up will be nice Acmilan should not think of playing pulisic on wing no let him come substitute but again please tomori must not features at all and chukwueze must play 90 mins because he has 100% record against Madrid in times of scoring when he was in Villareal
Same thing Everton said about Ademola Lookman, but here we are!
Selling Leao is not the problem, Milan has never spent any of these funds wisely especially of late.
He still is a 30 G+A/season player, bit strange to call that not fundamental. Look at how Mbappe is doing atm compared to Ronaldo and Messi in their prime, there are not that many stand out players currently.
When is an actual champion ever not a champion?