With the trip to Napoli just six days away, Rafael Leao is hoping to do enough to convince Massimiliano Allegri that he should start.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning that Leao isn’t necessarily at his happiest when in the gym. He prefers being out on the field with the ball at his feet, especially when he’s feeling well, but that hasn’t been the case for months.
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Leao injured himself on December 8th in Turin. There was talk of inflammation, but it soon became clear that the problem was more to do with pubalgia. Pubalgia is not something to take lightly: you never know when a player will be back to 100%. For Rafa, that day hasn’t arrived yet.
Recovering in Portugal
Leao went abroad eight days ago to evaluate the problem that has limited him for four months, and on Wednesday he was in Portugal, where he saw his twins – born over a year and a half ago – and worked on his fitness.
Working with him, as has been the case for many years, was Francisco Martins, a fitness coach who also works with Ruben Dias, Francisco Trincao, and several Portuguese players. Leao was already with him at the beginning of March, as evidenced by the usual videos posted on Instagram.
Rafa trusts him, and Milan are following everything remotely. In recent days, the Rossoneri medical staff has remained in contact to monitor his progress, and he will return to Italy on Wednesday to rejoin the squad at Milanello.
This time, one thing is certain: the decision on his use in Naples will be made by Leao, the doctors and Massimiliano Allegri. The last time, before Milan-Torino, his exclusion from the squad wasn’t particularly peaceful.
However, Milan and Rafa have a shared project, and they’ll have to think about it. The idea is to restart and enjoy two months that, if not as exciting as the grand finale of 2022, are at least reassuring.
Memories and dreams
Leao would like to be available because Naples evokes special memories. In the spring of 2023 (three years have passed, it seems like a lifetime) Leao visited the city twice, 16 days apart. He scored twice in the league, but it was the Champions League that separated Rafa from the average player.
In the second leg of the quarter-finals, he accelerated on the counter-attack with half the city chasing him, as Ruud Gullit had done in 1988. The Portuguese squared for Olivier Giroud to score one of the simplest goals of his Milan career. There were 47 minutes left, but that sealed the tie.
Looking to the future, the World Cup is on the horizon. Summer is just around the corner, and the biggest tournament in football is calling is calling. Leao has always been important to Portugal in recent years, but never indispensable. Useful in attack, never at the center of the national team.
Thus, at 26, Rafa is caught in an eternal paradox. Seen by a spectator from 50 years ago, he would seem like a machine built for football, with a sensational combination of physique and speed. In the eyes of today’s Milan fans and pundits, he’s fascinating but unfinished.
I hereby present you the “hater” badge… would it kill you to hope well towards a struggling young man, a man with the future all his to shape??