Bergomi praises Milan and reveals Maldini told him ‘half of Europe’ wanted Rossoneri winger

By Akhil Prasad -

Inter legend Giuseppe Bergomi, who currently works as a pundit at Sky Sports Italia, has bestowed words of praise on Milan and on Rafael Leao.

Portuguese youngster Rafael Leao who is only beginning to show his worth with the Rossoneri as the former Lille forward has been with Milan since 2019 but has so far been overshadowed by his own inconsistent performances and the presence of others in the team.

However, this season has been a different story as Stefano Pioli has consistently started with him on the left wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, in order to support Ane Rebic up front. Shining light on the Portuguese, Bergomi said to the microphones of Sky Sports (via MilanLive).

“This year Milan decided to bet strongly on Leao, I spoke to Maldini who told me: ‘The only player who was asked by all of Europe is Leao, but we are aiming high this season’,” he said.

His goal scoring exploits have not been up to Rossoneri standards. But with Rebic, Giroud and Ibrahimovic in place, Leao could afford to drop deeper and support the midfield.

“Leao is replaceable, Rebic can play on the left. He is a player who has also played the center forward but cannot do it, he is one of those players who have to look at the goal and aim at the man. He is one of those players who create numerical superiority,” the former defender added.

Milan have begun their season on a high note, winning four and drawing one of the total five matches played. The Rossoneri are only one of the three unbeaten Serie A teams alongside Inter and Napoli.

On the win against Venezia, Bergomi added: “The game was in control, in my opinion Milan handled it well, without creating too many dangers but when they accelerated they hurt Venice. We are only on matchday five, but Milan are struggling to shoot on goal, I appreciate that. They do the defensive phase well.”


READ MORE: A fountain of youth and a first since 2005 – All the key stats from Milan’s win over Venezia

Tags AC Milan Beppe Bergomi Rafael Leao
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