AC Milan’s summer signing Rafael Leao has revealed that his father cried after he scored his first goal for the club against Fiorentina.
The Portugal U21 international joined from Lille in the summer in a €28m deal and was one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal night at San Siro on Sunday.
Leao scored a wonderful solo goal just after the Rossoneri had gone 3-0 down against La Viola, dribbling past several players before finishing expertly into the far corner.
The 20-year-old struggled for opportunities upon his arrival but now appears to be a guaranteed starter.
In an interview with DAZN (via Calciomercato.com), Leao relived the emotion of netting his first goal for the club.
“It was a fancy moment, I had nothing to lose,” he said.
“I tried to do what I did, one-on-one, and it materialised. In France, I was more of a box player and I didn’t really find myself in many one-on-one situations.
“Who was the first I called after the goal? My dad. He was happy and excited, he started crying. He saw me grow up, so he was very happy for my first goal.”
Leao also discussed previous Milan players who inspire him and who he hopes to emulate in the future.
“Kaká, Ronaldinho, Pato, Robinho, Rui Costa, Maldini. He called me, we talked and it was important to convince me to come here. He told me about the project and from that moment, I didn’t need anything else to accept.
On who to follow on Instagram, he added: “Piatek because he puts good things in the stories.
“Even Paquetá is very good at making Instagram stories. You have to follow me because I’ll score many goals if you look at my stories [laughs].”
