Andriy Shevchenko has spoken about what he has seen from AC Milan so far this season, including the fluctuating form of Rafael Leao.
Shevchenko was inducted by the FIGC into the Hall of Fame of Italian football yesterday with an award ceremony that took place in Coverciano, home of the Federal Technical Centre and the training complex of the national team.
After receiving the award he spoke to the media who were present and he was asked about a number of key topics, including of course his former side Milan. Calciomercato.com relayed his comments.
“For me it is a great honour. In my letter I tried to describe the love I feel for Serie A and for AC Milan. The years here in Italy were certainly the best of my career and the relationship created with the people has remained, and today it is even stronger,” he said.
“I want to thank everyone for the support of the Ukrainian people in a difficult moment in our history. Football has a value that is immense because it is truly a bridge for peace and relationships. A therapy, especially for children.
“We made an initiative to bring our Ukrainian children here to Coverciano. I spoke to them and they were very happy, it had really been a long time since I heard so much happiness in children. Two weeks of tranquility in Italy were enough to receive a great gift.”
What do you think about how your beloved Milan are doing?
“I won’t get into the technical aspect, but Milan fans are waiting for results. The match with Real Madrid was fantastic, but Milan needs more consistency. Only in this way can strong teams be created, that can try to win the Scudetto.”
Rafael Leao has had a strange season already…
“I think that a player like Leao certainly needs to be well protected, he is an asset for the team. Leao should also take a step forward, perhaps do more for the team.
“A champion is not just someone who does important things in attack, but a leader, someone who helps the team in difficult moments. And he has the potential to become a leader, now he has to prove it.”
Shevchenko’s words regarding the inconsistency of results will certainly resonate with fans. This season has had a rocky start under Paulo Fonseca, with the most recent setback being a 3-3 draw with Cagliari on Saturday.
That came after a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Champions League, perfectly demonstrating the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the team that needs to be corrected.
Counting down the minutes for Leao-lovers (such as Mario’s sad little brother) to jump in and start bashing the legend for suggesting Leao needs to do more and isn’t the perfect player they think he is. What does Sheva know about football, right? 🙂
Oh cmon mate. Leao is the best player we have and definitely is not perfect. He is not a leader and probably never will be but like he showed just like he did in the the last two games y he is the difference maker.
Sure. I just hope he keeps it up and won’t disappear for the rest of the month. With the leaky defense we’ve got, it’s crucial that Leao gets back his scudetto-winning mojo.