Rafael Leao has officially signed a contract renewal with AC Milan and will remain at the club until 2028. Speaking to the club’s channels, the winger shared his thoughts on the agreement and the future at the club.
Leao is expected to earn €5m per year plus bonuses and there will also be a €175m release clause in the deal, but it will only be valid in July of every year. In short, a very good deal for all of the parties.
Speaking to MilanTV (see video below), Leao shared his thoughts on the renewal, living in Milano and the future with the club.
On the renewal…
“I’m very happy because extending the contract is what I wanted. I told the club and my teammates that my goal was to stay here. Eventually, we managed to reach an agreement for me to continue here.
On Milan…
“Milano is my home. The day I arrived, everyone welcomed me with open arms. Everyone supported me during the difficult times. Here I can improve on a daily basis, I feel at home. Thanks to the faith in me, I can reach the top and win trophies here.
“Everybody at Milan is like family to me, they are helping me big time in doing what I’m doing on the pitch. This enables me to be an important player for the team. That’s what I was looking for before I joined Milan.”
On the first two seasons and his rise…
“My numbers were pretty low in the first two seasons here. I may have left one or two players trailing but I didn’t score when I got a sight of goal. These days, I’m a different player, more responsible and aware of when I need to shoot and when I need to pass. I’ve become a lot more efficient as well, thanks to the work in training and the help of the coach.”
On Pioli…
“At a certain point, it dawned on Pioli how to raise my level and what I needed to make a difference. Off the pitch, he gives me advice every single day. My goal is to win as many competitions as possible here, and I want to relive the emotions of winning the Scudetto, that’s when I realised the size of this club.”
On Milano again…
“Milano is similar to Portugal, the weather is nice and the food is great, and for shopping it’s also great. For young people the city is amazing. It took me some time to adapt, but living here as always been fun, and Italian is similar to Portuguese.”
On the renewal…
“I want to thank the club for their hard work in ensuring that the best players stay here. Last year we showed everybody that this blend of younger and older players can make a strong team. I’m delighted that I can continue playing with them.”
On the teammate that has improved him the most…
“All of them, but clearly Ibra is like an older brother. He has so much experience which is important for us younger players. He taught me to never give up, and even if I had already scored a goal he was always urging me to do more. Before an important game, he tells me to show everybody who I am.”
On the Duomo…
“I remember when we had the celebration here with the bus. Seeing the plaza covered in red and black, was the highlight of my footballing career, I’ve never experienced anything like it. Only after wearing the shirt in front of the fans at San Siro did I realise that it’s not easy, the shirt weighs a lot. Thank you everybody!”
Okay but.. Where is @Poli?🤔😭 Why are you so silent, now? Why don’t, you come out of your cave now?😭
He’s playing his Xbox screaming at Maldini for not signing Neymar, Haaland and Messi for 10 Euros! “It’s all your fault Paolo”!!!!!!!!!!!!
In his Xbox, he has lost Neymar, Haaland and Messi on free transfers..🤣😭
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 💀💀💀💀
@Milan Fan: *Drops mic* 😭😭😭
Where are the Maldini haters now? 😭 😭
They are in mud..😭
Where are the Maldini haters now? 😭 😭
Leäo loves Milan and this proves it.
All those clowns insulting management over Kessie, Dona and Hakan can now see that it’s all about the individual. In any case, those guys that left were from the Chinese era. They had a chance to be Milan legend, but they blew it. Where is Kessie today? Meanwhile some people want him to come back, after his betrayal.
Lol I agree with everything except that I’d take Kessie back. He did his job and never bad mouthed is after he left. The rest talked too much. But yes it’s really the player’s will. And I’m sure Kessie is regretting not staying, only to go to Barca to warm bench.
Agree
Where are those who usually claimed Leao will never renew???
A very good move by leao.
By extending his contract, even if he were to leave in the future, he’d still be in good terms with milan and loved by the fans, and he wouldn’t left milan empty handed unlike previous players who decided to leave milan for free
That interview seemed so much more mature than previous ones.
We have a great manager in pioli and a great set of players ,,.with the addition of a couple more arriving .
Yes wonderful that Rafeol leao is contracted to us for a good period of time ,,,he is a class player ,young and he will get even better ,and of course he can score goals …We also still have a very good centre forward in Olivier Giroud yes he maybe 36 years of age ,but time has not caught up with him yet ,and he has plenty to offer ,.he will still score goals against anyone if he Is given the service…I like the idea of Loftus cheek joining us ,as we need a midfielder who has got physical height and strength ,and indeed pace ..
He can help provide opportunities for Giroud..
Only concern about Loftus cheek is that he seems injury prone ,.so on a plus side if he stays fit then we have a positive…yes we need a centre forward to help Olivier Giroud, but not to replace him ,as you can’t replace class ..I think the future looks good for AC Milan ..We can challenge for honours again next season …let’s just go back a bit to see what we have already achieved,,,the scuddeto last season .The champions leauge semi final this season ..Qualification for next season’s champions leauge .
I think so many fans forget this ,
The season we have had has been a success..
So please stay optimistic…We are AC Milan
Oh yes, what’s up with the Doom & Gloom bunch of morons right now? Pathetic losers!
Forza Leão, siamo con te!!!