Rafael Leao’s World Cup dream came to an end over the weekend as Portugal were beaten 1-0 by Morocco, and now a very important few months awaits for the winger.
MilanNews recall that Leao concluded his first international tournament for his country with 82 minutes played (no starts) and two goals, scored against Ghana and Switzerland. However, there will be a feeling of bitterness that their journey ended with a 1-0 defeat to Morocco.
His immediate future centres around three R’s, starting with some rest which is inevitable. Even though he didn’t play much in the World Cup, the psychological and physical energies that such a competition consumes remain very high. Leao has chosen to stay in Qatar where he was joined by family and friends to enjoy a few days of vacation, and he will rejoin the squad when they are back from Dubai.
The second ‘R’ is recovery, but not from an energy point of view, rather the aim to overturn the eight point gap to Napoli and try to defend the Scudetto. Milan will rely on Leao’s talent for that as his performances had a big impact in the first part of the season, but but they will have to be even more decisive and constant in the second part of the season.
Finally, we reach the renewal. Leao will have to continue negotiating with Milan over his future but it is complicated given the double power of attorney (between the French lawyer and Jorge Mendes), the wishes of his father Antonio, the fine to be paid to Sporting CP, the interest from top foreign clubs and the salary demands. Maldini and Massara are ready to try.
He’s only thinking about money right now and gear up to play with other clubs in January