Milan, Leao is all new: muscles, goals, renewal

The smile has remained the same as three years ago, when he “phoned” his father after the goals – a few, to tell the truth – and went to repetitions of striker physics from Professor Ibrahimovic. Everything else changed, luckily for him and for Milan who bet on his potential: the new Leao added more muscles, more wickedness under the goal, more ambition and above all more desire for the Rossoneri. In the Milanese atelier they work accordingly: now that Rafa has become an XL champion, the suit to be sewn on him will have to fit him perfectly, from the contract renewal to the technical project at the center of which the Portuguese will be able to grow even more.

Beastly physicist

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Beastly physicist Look at the photos above: on one side there is the Leao of 2019, on the other that of today. The glance reaches the point as fast as Rafa does when he starts the ball and highlights the physical path taken in these seasons. Simply impressive. Because muscle mass increases from year to year and every summer, upon returning from holidays, Pioli finds an increasingly structured footballer. They know this well at Milan, where the physical-athletic parameters of the players are constantly monitored, their teammates see it and their opponents have noticed it: in one-on-one with the AC Milan striker they no longer suffer only from dribbling and tearing, but also in contrasts. Thanks to Leao, of course, for the work carried out at Milanello, but also to Francisco Martins, Rafa’s personal trainer (and many other compatriots, from Joao Felix to Ruben Dias): ever since Leao “partnered” with him, the muscle blast and takeoff in performance went hand in hand.

From little brother to big brother

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During the first year in Italy, Leao had the privilege of being followed by an exceptional “tutor”: once the characteristics of the potential champion were recognized, Ibra took him under his wing and taught him the secrets of goals. “In the area you go to kill, I told you right away”, Zlatan said in the very early days, and the lessons were staged at San Siro: indications on the movements to be done, on the size of the balls to serve, all seasoned with some scrubbing worldwide. “Ibra continues to encourage me and remind me that work is the basis of everything”, explained Leao, who never misses an opportunity to express gratitude to her “older brother”. Today, while Zlatan is sweating away from Milan to recover from knee surgery and get back to work in a few months, Rafa is the big brother who leads the new ones: with Adli, whom he has known for less than a week, there is already a great feeling . Leao’s journey could also be an example for the 21-year-old Frenchman, looking for space as a protagonist in Pioli’s midfield.

At the center of everything

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Charismatic leader maybe not yet – and how could it be otherwise, for a boy who has just turned 23? – but undoubtedly a technical driver: Rafa has already been so in the last season, closed with a Scudetto arrived thanks to his magic and with the satisfaction of having been elected Mvp of the championship by the Serie A League. Now the challenge awaits him tougher. Confirming himself as a star among the stars – from Lukaku back to Inter to Dybala in the Giallorossi and Di Maria to Juve, the competition will not fail – and shine also in the Champions League. Possibly as a symbol of Milan in the long term: the urgencies for now are other, but when the negotiations for the renewal of the contract expiring in 2024 resume, Rafa and the Devil will restart from the common desire to continue together. It is not cheap.