On Rafael Leao’s 27th birthday and after another statement of intent from him, it only feels right to look back on his time at AC Milan.
Whenever you sit to think of Rafael Leao, the lingering feeling is how did we get here? After all of the highs, even after the lows, how is this the endpoint? There have been several chances for the parties to split in better circumstances.
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However, it almost feels like his ‘legacy’ at the club, if we can call it that, is being overwritten by that feeling of disappointment.
Now, neither party are innocent in this situation, the blame can go both ways. Yet, you end up at the same point each time.
The Leao situation
In recent years, there have been very, very few connections like Leao’s with Milan. That is not coming from a biased perspective. Rather, how many stars stay at one club for this long and build something where they are the face of the project throughout?
It is a nominal amount, especially when considering the story.
Leao arrived after speaking with Paolo Maldini – a gateway into the club which he has loved, from one of its greatest ever servants – and that almost felt like a blessing for the future. But it was not easy at the start.
Yet, there was always that destiny feeling with the Portuguese. Almost a case of him being predetermined to be the one to end the Scudetto drought. He’d turned Inter down to join their city rivals, a story which is rarely heard nowadays, thanks to a legend.
Over the next season or so, he showed why Maldini was right to gamble on the youngster from Lille. It doesn’t need to be overcomplicated. The Portuguese started working his magic, which made many fall in love and they fell hard.
Out of nowhere, they once again had a star to cheer for inside San Siro and it seemed like he would be the face of the project going forward. That was in 2020 and for six years, he’s been exactly that.
Others have come and gone – whether it was their choice or not – but he has always stayed. The Rossoneri shielded him more than others, yes, but he still stayed, despite there being plenty of opportunities for him to have moved on.
However, his release clause was always pointed to. That €175 million figure etched into his contract would be the sole reference for any interested party.
Even when Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain were coming forward, considering nine-figure sums for the Portuguese, there was a refusal to even enter the room unless the release clause was met.
In Italy, especially, that doesn’t happen. It is that reason exactly why this situation is so tough and that’s why the legacy situation is much different.
When you look at the Bruno Fernandes’ of Manchester United, your Kevin De Bruyne’s of Manchester City, whoever you want to pick, they can afford to build around them. There are never really any questions about their future, because they can keep them happy and they can keep them, literally.
Milan are not the richest club in the world; their model has been to sell to improve. Yet, Leao has always remained. Their most obvious point of sale to improve always stuck and sat on the list of unsellable players, often by himself. That doesn’t happen, not in the current state of Serie A.
A likely ending
So, here we are, sitting at the mercato, knowing this is it. In recent weeks, Leao has made his stance clear: he wants to leave. Unfortunately, he is probably souring the relationship with the way in which he has approached it.
The timeline is a little difficult. Yet, we can break it down a little bit. An interview was released today, in which he stated that he wanted to consider a new path, but if he stayed, he stayed.
“I’ve already achieved what I wanted to achieve with AC Milan. In football, you can never say never; you never know what the future holds, but if it were to happen, I’ll leave here very happy, satisfied that I’ve helped bring the club where it deserves to be.”
That’s not so bad, but when finding out that it was filmed before the final games of the season, it doesn’t leave the best impression.
Since then, there have been two more interviews, in each of which he has discussed his desire to leave the club and the feeling seems to have grown.
From that first interview, it seemed like it was a ‘we’ll see’, but now it is a very clear, ‘come and get me’ type message. Matteo Moretto summarised it perfectly, stating, ‘Leao wants to leave Milan and he’s been saying so repeatedly in every language in the world’.
We know, and everyone else knows, that he wants to leave. The message has been received and whilst there is no one at the club to receive it, AC Milan know that Rafael Leao wants to leave.
Unfortunately, you’re no longer in a situation where the Rossoneri are demanding €175m to sit at the table, or even €100m as it could have been when he turned 26. Instead, on his 27th birthday, his value has dropped to €50m. Even then, no one seems interested.
As of today, only Galatasaray have come forward with concrete interest. Manchester United and Arsenal have enquired, but they are yet to make any proper movement forward.
It is gutting, largely because it was never meant to end like this. However, both parties are as bad as each other.
Milan’s faults
Now, the issue with Leao has only reached its boiling point this season. Yet, you can suggest that the road was heading towards an end a while ago.
The moment when things probably changed was after the Scudetto season, perhaps the year after that. When Leao stopped being an aesthetic player and it became a question of goals. He was brilliant, but… and that was the issue. A non-issue, but it became a sticking topic.
There was always a ‘but’ that followed after that and it remains now. Unfortunately, there are more buts to add to the argument, but we’ll get to those.
The fault of the Rossoneri is the fact that they tried to get a beautiful player to become efficient and whilst the two are not mutually exclusive, they are difficult. Everything seemed to be built around the winger taking the next step, but maybe he wasn’t the one to do that.
A player like the Leao of the Scudetto season – maybe a year either way – will always provide value to a team, with the right surroundings. As soon as you try to change that type of player into a goalscorer primarily, you face issues.
The longer that quest went on, the more problematic it became, too. Rather than Leao being defined by his bests, he was overshadowed by the 20-goal target which hung over him and couldn’t be reached.
Milan have had four managers attempt to be the one to make Leao that end-product winger, which is so rare, and none have succeeded.
Two compatriots couldn’t get the best from him and both seemed to face issues with him, which we’ll get to. Then Massimiliano Allegri tried to take him to the next level, but he couldn’t, even with him at the centre of the project and even at the centre of the attack.
With Allegri in particular, it has felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. In those aforementioned interviews, Leao revealed that he had played through injury for 4-5 months. Which is ridiculous and it hasn’t helped his stats this season.
However, visually, there has been something off and that would explain why. It would also explain why a relationship with Allegri seemed to break down towards the end.
In this sense, Allegri, those who came before him – but probably not Stefano Pioli – and just the club generally are responsible for the decline of Leao.
As was said on a recent podcast episode, Leao, as an asset, has been devalued for a long, long time by the Rossoneri and that is about as big a criticism as you can get. It is not a one-way street to lose €125m in valuation on a player in 24 months. In other words, it is not only his fault.
@sempremilan_com 🫣 #Leao jeered: time to leave #ACMilan? 🇵🇹 #fyp #Soccer #football ♬ original sound – SempreMilan
However, they are not the only ones at fault here.
Leao’s part in it all
This is not the first instance of Leao wanting out. In November 2025, it seemed the Portuguese was actively seeking an exit after growing frustrated with Paulo Fonseca, his style of play, and the fact that he was being made to change even further.
However, the former Lille manager was not asking for much. Instead, it was a case of asking for commitment to his teammates. It was not a case against Leao, but rather it was a demand for the team to be exactly that.
As much as it is good to have a maverick like Leao at the club, you also have the downsides of that. A star is only as good as he makes those around him and in the Pioli years, he added value to the attack and beyond.
Whether it was him creating the chances for them or just making it easier for them to shine, everyone helped everyone. Yet, when the Italian left, it seemed more and more like Leao was becoming an individual and that, in the long-term, becomes an Achilles heel of a team.
Individuals are great when you have the luxury to afford them and allow them to blossom. However, there is also a level of commitment expected from them and Leao, ultimately, has not given that to his team.
Each of the last three managers have eventually concluded that he is not a team-oriented player and he lacks the motivation to run the hard yards when required. For example, it is no secret that the star doesn’t press as much as coaches have wanted him to.
Yet, each has pitched him as the star of their project. Fonseca travelled to Portugal during the European Championship to personally greet him, Conceicao tried to work with him as soon as he possibly could and Allegri spent the summer working with him closely.
In fact, the Italian’s centralisation is the closest that he has come to adjusting his game to his manager’s ideas in recent years. However, that is pretty difficult to escape, really. When you are moved on the pitch, you have to play in a specific ‘zone’, so to speak.
Even then, though, there have been occasions where he has overlapped with Christian Pulisic, drifting into similar areas and this was seen especially at the end of the season.
Perhaps you can put this back into the ‘Milan’s fault’ category, but he always seemed to drift back to the left and there was a refusal to change that. Yet, it is a two-way street. He also seemingly refused to stay in the middle.
If it was one manager who had had the issue, it’s an anomaly. When it’s two in the same season, it’s difficult. When it’s three across two years, each with a different idea and style, it becomes difficult to really ignore what is in front of you.
This is not to say Leao is solely to blame, after all, the previous section focused on the fault of the club. However, it is difficult to sit here and say that he has not contributed to his own downfall in one way or another.
Is it really the end?
We return, then, to the starting question and whether that’s really it. If this summer is to be his last linked to Milan, it has been a pleasure. At times it has been difficult, but with the Leao-type of player, it always will be.
Perhaps that is the exact reason why we’re here. Maybe that frustration should’ve been gratitude for him being at the club and being what he was. However, there was always the feeling that he was so close to being more.
After all, the Ballon d’Or has been discussed with Leao on plenty of occasions. So, it is not a case of the Rossoneri seeing (and hoping) for more from him. Instead, the discussion has been widespread on how far he can go.
There are plenty of situations where you could have imagined him leaving for more or leaving having done more. Indeed, he could well have gone on to win more silverware with the Diavolo in recent years; alternatively, someone could have made the plunge on him for €175m.
This, then, feels like the worst possible outcome.
He leaves at a time when the fans are no longer on board with him, or at least not as much as they once were. He leaves at a time when his value is at its lowest. He leaves at a time when his relationship with the club seems broken.
It could have ended in so many ways better than what is becoming a blatant reality. It hasn’t, or at least it seems like it won’t, and that hurts. As we say, there is that feeling of what could’ve been with Leao, but they have tried that many formulas that there are few scenarios left to try to see what could be.
An unfortunate ending for someone who seemed so close yet so far from being more. A situation which, like is often the case when looking at Leao recently, is difficult.
Yet, here we are.
Few things.
A myth. Leao can say whatever he wants, as we have seen lately, he gives contradicting stories, but he didn’t join inter because Conte wanted Lukaku. Very similar situation with Tonali’s. They were looking for a CF, Leao was one of the players they were looking at because Auselio thought Leao can play that role, oh boy was he wrong, Conte disagreed. They spent 80 mil on Lukaku in that same summer, and not because Leao turned them down.
When did ManCity and PSG came forward for Leao? Not media invented stories, but actual approach. The only team that came forward for Leao was Chelsea after the scudetto season with an offer around 70 mil. No team ever considered nine figure sums, nor was there ever a refusal. If anyone here actually believes that Milan would turn down 100 mil for a player, they haven’t been paying attention.
“The fault of the Rossoneri is the fact that they tried to get a beautiful player to become more efficient”
What the hell is this sentence? This is why I always say that the standards of our fanbase are all time low. Who cares about production, its all about the vibes right? Who cares about goals, did you see Leao outrun that slow serie A defender and he did it with a smile 😃 while sending the ball 10 metere above or away from any teammate or in the 2nd tier of the stadium.
The fault of the Rossoneri is that they were delusional and tried to build a team around a player who is nothing more than a supplementary piece. NBA analogy, building a team around Leao is like building an NBA team around Carmelo Anthony. Melo thought he is a n1 on a team where in reality he is nothing more than a 3rd option at best. The teams that tried to build around him won nothing, couldn’t even make the playoffs and he end up out of the NBA begging for a team to sign him. The difference between Anthony and Leao is that Anthony was actually very good at scoring, not much of anything else.
“Rather than Leao being defined by his bests, he was overshadowed by the 20 goal target which hung over him and couldn’t be reached”
His bests is running fast. And forget about 20 goals, he barely got 15 in all competitions (twice) and he scored 10 or more goals only twice in serie A in 7 seasons. But I forgot, a winger, attacking player, who doesn’t do anything but attack, doesn’t contribute defensively or with press, should not be required to score goals, according to his fans.
“It is not a one way street to lose €125 m in valuation on a player in 24 months.”
Brother, Leao was never worth 175 m, he was never worth a 100m. Thats just a number put in his contract that no one thinks that the player is worth. Barcelona and Real Madrid put 1 billion release clause on majority of their players. Thats doesn’t mean that the player valuation is 1 billion.
Leao valuation have maybe dropped 25, 30 mil because no one else but Leao fans ever thought he was worth more than 70-75 mil even at the time when he was the most hyped.
This is a 3rd player that most of our delusional fans thought is a star or a great player or the best in their position in the world that the football world humbled you with.
Theo , best left back in the world, no one wanted him even on a cut price.
Maignan, best GK in the world, pushed to go to Chelsea and they wouldn’t pay a cent over 15 mil for him.
Now, Leao. Keeps giving interviews and there is still no interest besides from Turkey that BTW is his level of football.
The author kept writing how Leao’s situation, failures, lack of improvement, devaluation is a both parties fault but he kept finding ways to put it on everyone but Leao
The MVP award that serie A gifted Leao, was the worst thing that happened to him. That went to his head, he thought he was a star and a great player, and walked on the pitch thinking he is that. Delusional fans, some still present, thought that he was a great player. What’s worse is that incompetent Milan managements, this latest one and the one before them, actually were fooled into thinking that he was a top player too and decided to make him the center of their project.
If Leao wants to stay in Europe he either would have to humble himself, come back to reality, starts working hard, running, pressing, tracking back if he hopes to play as a winger, or he needs to learn how to play as a striker if he chooses to continue walking on the pitch. In todays football, where the fullbacks/wingbacks are very attacking you cant have a winger who doesn’t track back. That attacking fullback is his responsibility, not like some of our fans think that it should be a midfielders responsibility to cover for a lazy player who also doesn’t contribute with goals. PSG is invented as a team interested in Leao. Look at their wingers and tell me how they act in the pitch and that anyone actually believes that team with that coach was ever interested in Leao.
Good luck to him, if he actually leaves.
Reminds me of Balotelli only that Balo did manage to achieve great things in his career compared to Leao. How time flies… This guy used to be 20 amd now he’s 27. Soon you’re 33 and have just a Serie A title to your name with all that talent wasted. He’s probably the reason why Kvara wasn’t signed and why JPH wasn’t kept to develop.
Well said.
But at least he is a rapper and poses for photos like a professional model. Boy is so talented in many areas that he did not know which one to choose.
He was a good player only for Seria A, he wouldn’t resist in a more competitive league. It’s funny how he sees himself playing in the premier league, but I remember all the games Milan played in the last years against English teams: the oposite right back neutralised him; wheter it was Tottenham, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea. He was invisible, 0 goals. How do you think you could be succesful in that league? Maybe as a reserve for a good team.
I love how there are fewer and fewer comments under the Leao’s issue, on which usually sparks a lot of endless debate.
☠️ 🐎 .
His failure is his own fault, nothing more. His legacy will be being a less effective version of Hatem Ben Arfa. He had potential yes, but how many thousands of players had that been said for??? You either work and realize it, like Kvara did, or you coast off the hype without effort like leao did, and soon enough the roads gone… he seemed to have this pitiful delusion, just like his buddy theo did, that big clubs would lineup to sign him if he said he wanted out. Now, just like theo, hes coming to the painful reality that no big boy clubs have any need for a lazy luxury player who cant perform and put in constant effort week in week out. Best offers he’s gonna get are turkey or Saudi, either that or accept small club offers from someone like Brentford or Sunderland. Because the likes of barca, arsenal, city, psg, and bayern have many better signing options who are younger and will do better
Leao è stato bravo nelle prime 4 stagioni al Milan, nelle altre due ha dimostrato di non saper giocare. Avremmo dovuto venderlo la scorsa estate per 90 milioni quando valeva quella cifra, ora al massimo 60 milioni, se li otteniamo saremmo a cavallo. L’unico che secondo me potrebbe sostituire Rafael al Milan è Mika Godts dell’Ajax, gioca benissimo, ha una media di oltre 30 gol e assist e il suo valore si aggira sui 40 milioni. Spero che il Milan lo paghi a metà prezzo.