AC Milan forward Rafael Leao has revealed that team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushes him to the edge to get the best out of his abilities.
Leao arrived last summer with very high expectations with the Rossoneri having paid somewhere between €28-35million to snatch him from Lille, depending on which sources you believe.
When Ibrahimovic returned in January, many were convinced that the Swede could be what Leao needed – especially after their first couple of games up front together – but in the end it is Ante Rebic who has exploded.
Nonetheless, the Portugal starlet will have a future as a protagonist as he is a player that the management admire and want to get the best out of.
Leao spoke on an Instagram live with artist Anyfa about his arrival at Milan and about his relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with MilanLive transcribing his comments.
On his transfer from Lille to the Rossoneri in the summer of 2019 he said: “It was all very fast. I would never have thought at twenty years old of being here, in a club with a great history, which has won seven Champions Leagues. Being able to represent Milan at my age is a great pride.”
On Ibrahimovic: “If you are not psychologically strong, it becomes complicated. He has a strong personality, he has played with great players and has a great history behind him.
“In training, he is a person and in games he is completely different, very competitive. He is an arrogant player, but in a positive sense, because he always wants to win. He is someone who can help me a lot from a football point of view.
“In training he is very close to me, since his arrival he has had this attitude with me. He gives me a lot of advice, he tells me that I can do much better and that I have the potential to become a point of reference for Milan.”
