Rafael Leao was caught taking off his shin pads and leaving the pitch during Milan-Udinese, despite not actually being subbed off, before realising his mistake.
Last night’s clash was a bad one for several Milan figures, such as Koni De Winter and Massimiliano Allegri. The one who has received the most criticism, however, is Rafael Leao after what was a poor display from start to finish.
The No.10 started the game as a centre-forward and unsurprisingly didn’t have much success there, before moving to left-wing for the second half. However, apart from one good pass for Niclas Fullkrug, it was a frustrating watch for the Milan fans.
As captured by DAZN, one moment in the second half was incredibly symbolic for his evening. It was in the 67th minute that Udinese decided to sub off their No.10, Nicolo Zaniolo, who had been absolutely brilliant up until that point.
Leao, seeing the No.10 on the substitution board, took off his shin pads and even walked off the pitch. However, he then realised his mistake and had to quickly get back in. While it might seem like nothing, not being more aware of your surroundings does say something about your mental state.
Questo fa capire palesemente quanto Leao fosse fuori con la testa dalla partita
(e anche quanto sapesse di aver fatto male, malissimo).. pic.twitter.com/Nm4Vq354im— Johnny Bevacqua (@Theocrazia19) April 11, 2026
It’s almost as if he had given up himself at that point, not even questioning the sub enough to double-check if it was actually Milan making the change.
I think milan x leao relationship is at its end. Best the club cashes in and start chasing after different talent.. plus give the coach the players he needs. Unfortunatly him even testing leao at cf means he doesnt use out n out wingers.. unfortunalty he is one of the most talented players so he will experiment with him at cf, question is since it clearly hasnt been working as expected, how bout they change th formation which effects everything and brings uncomfortability to everyone which is what happend.. so for next season they need the right profiles in the team. Leao unfortunatly isnt fitting or adaptable in terms of strengths so they need to cash in and get the rigbt players.. the club comed firdt and we need to look at whats best for thee long run. Also pulisic can stay coz he id adaptable in the front 4 positions plus has defensive work rate.. if he combines with someone like lewa he could be very effective interms of output. What im sayijg is it takes too much to to make leao play good which affects the whole team. So club comes first and we need to get serious with business..
the best players don’t deserve to be in this Milan. This milan is dragged down by the illness and sick mind in the top mgnt.