Rafael Leão
Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁɐfɐˈɛɫ ˈljɐ̃w̃]; born 10 June 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club AC Milan and the Portugal national team.
| Leão with AC Milan in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rafael Alexandre da Conceição Leão[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 June 1999[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Almada, Portugal[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | AC Milan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Amora | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Foot 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2017 | Sporting CP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Sporting CP B | 12 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sporting CP | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Lille | 24 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | AC Milan | 110 | (30) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Portugal U16 | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Portugal U17 | 11 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Portugal U19 | 17 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Portugal U20 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | Portugal U21 | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Portugal | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:41, 4 January 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:27, 10 December 2022 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Graduating from Sporting CP youth system, Leão made his first-team debut in 2018, winning the 2017–18 Taça da Liga, before unilaterally terminating his contract, following an incident within the club. Shortly after, he joined for Ligue 1 side Lille on a free transfer. AC Milan signed him in 2019 for a reported fee of €35 million. In his third season at the club, he helped the team win the 2021–22 Serie A, which ended the club's 11-year league title drought. He was also voted Serie A Most Valuable Player and was listed among the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.
Leão is a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at various youth levels, being part of the under-17 team that won the 2016 European Championship. He made his senior international debut in 2021.
Club career
Sporting CP
Born in Almada, Setúbal District, to Angolan parents, Leão joined Sporting CP's youth system at the age of 9 after a brief spell in Amora.[4][5] On 21 May 2017, still a junior, he made his senior debut with the reserves, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring in a 1–1 away draw against Braga B.[6]
Courtesy of manager Jorge Jesus, Leão first appeared in the Primeira Liga with the first team on 11 February 2018, replacing Bryan Ruiz for the last 21 minutes of the 2–0 home win over Feirense.[7][8] On 2 March, having taken the place of injured Seydou Doumbia late into the first half, he equalised for the visitors a few minutes after taking the pitch but in a 2–1 away loss to Porto[9]– in the process, he became the club's youngest-ever scorer against that opposition.[10]
On 14 June 2018, Leão unilaterally terminated his contract with the Leões,[11] citing an incident where players and staff had been attacked by fans during training.[12]
Lille
On 8 August 2018, Leão joined French club Lille on a free transfer, signing a five-year deal.[13] Sporting CP would later dispute Lille's deal to sign the player, deeming the transfer "unacceptable", filling a complaint with FIFA and claiming the €45 million of his release clause.[14] At the beginning of September 2018, Leão wanted to terminate his contract with the club, after his transfer was not approved by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), due to sanctions imposed by the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), following Lille's financial difficulties.[15][16] After being convinced by his representative to stay at Lille, the DNCG validated Lille's pending contracts, including the contract of Leão.[17]
Leão made his competitive debut on 30 September 2018, replacing Loïc Rémy in the 78th minute, in a 3–0 home win over Marseille.[18] He scored his first Ligue 1 goal in only his second appearance, playing 67 minutes and helping the hosts defeat Caen in a 1–0 victory.[19] On 1 February 2019, he scored his sixth goal of the season and made an assist to Nicolas Pépé, his first for the club, in a 4–0 home win over Nice.[20]
During his spell, Leão scored a total of eight goals in 26 competitive games, being mainly used as a striker by Lille coach Christophe Galtier, and shared teams with compatriots José Fonte, Rui Fonte, Edgar Ié and Xeka, as they finished as runners-up in a brilliant 2018–19 Ligue 1 season.[21]
AC Milan
2019–21: Adaptation to Italy
On 1 August 2019, Leão signed a five-year contract at AC Milan for a fee of €35 million plus a 20% sell-on clause.[22][23] He made his Serie A debut on 25 August, replacing Samu Castillejo in 75th-minute in a 1–0 away defeat to Udinese.[24] Leão scored his first goal of the club, as a late consolation in a 1–3 home loss to Fiorentina on 29 September.[25] On 19 March 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) condemned Leão to pay €16.5 million to Sporting CP for his unilateral breach of contract.[26] On 7 July 2020, Leão scored a goal against league-leaders Juventus, to help Milan to a 4–2 win, after being down by two goals. At the end of the season, he had scored six goals in 31 league matches, helping Milan to a sixth-place finish and a 10-match unbeaten streak.[27]
At the beginning of the following season, on 4 October 2020, Leão scored a brace in a 3–0 home victory at San Siro against Spezia.[28] On 29 October, he scored his first goal in European competitions, in a 3–0 home group stage victory in the UEFA Europa League against Sparta Prague.[29] He scored the fastest goal in the history of Serie A and in Europe's top-five leagues, after six seconds on 20 December at Sassuolo; the match ended 2–1 for his team.[30]
On 3 January 2021, he scored the second goal against Benevento in eventual 2–0 away win, becoming the second youngest foreign player (21 years and 207 days) to score more than ten goals for Milan in Serie A, after Alexandre Pato (19 years and 19 days).[31]
2021–22: Serie A champion
At the start of the 2021–22 season, on 29 August, Leão scored the first goal from a shot outside the box, in a 4–1 home victory against Cagliari at San Siro.[32] On 15 September, on in his UEFA Champions League debut, he provided an assist for Ante Rebić in a 3–2 away defeat to Liverpool;[33] and on 28 September, he scored his first goal in the competition in a 2–1 home loss against Atlético Madrid.[34]
On 9 February 2022, Leão opened the score sheet against Lazio and assisted the second goal,[35] being directly involved in 14 goals in the season, surpassing his record during his career in Europe's the top 5 leagues.[36] Four days later, in his 100th appearance for Milan, he scored the only goal in 1–0 win against Sampdoria, which put Milan in the top of the league table.[37][38] On 25 February, he scored his eighth league goal of the season against Udinese, in a eventual 1–1 draw, becoming in the process the second player to score in each of the seven days of a week in Serie A with AC Milan, after Andriy Shevchenko.[39][40]
On 1 May, Leão scored the winner in a 1–0 win against Fiorentina, becoming the youngest Portuguese to score at least 10 goals in a single Serie A campaign.[41] Seven days later, Leão's two assists to Sandro Tonali helped his team come from behind to defeat Hellas Verona 3–1 away from home, allowing his side to overtake rivals Inter at the top of the Serie A table.[42][43] On 22 May, he provided a hat-trick of assists for the first time in his career as Milan beat Sassuolo 3–0 away from home to win their first Serie A title in eleven years.[44] At the end of the season, Leão was awarded the Serie A MVP award for the 2021–22 season, finishing the campaign with 11 goals and 10 assists.[45] Leão also established himself as one of the best dribblers (186) in Serie A and the 3rd best among European players after Vinícius Júnior (210) and Allan Saint-Maximin (205).[46][47]
2022–23
Leão started the season by scoring and providing an assist in a 2–0 home win against Bologna on 27 August.[48] On 3 September, on his 100th appearance in Serie A, he scored a brace and provided an assist to Olivier Giroud in a 3–2 win against crosstown rivals Inter in the Derby della Madonnina; his second goal won him the Serie A Goal of the Month award for September.[49] On 10 September, Leão was sent off for the first time in his club career, after being booked twice, for violent conduct (kicking the head of Alex Ferrari, while attempting to perform an acrobatic bicycle kick) early in the second half of Milan's 2–1 win over Sampdoria.[50] During this time, in October, Leão was one of the 30 candidates who was nominated for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, being placed 14th place in the voting polls, the highest Portuguese player ranked in the voting list.[51] Later that month, Leão was named Serie A Player of the Month.[52]
International career
Youth
With the Portugal under-17s, Leão participated in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. In this competition, he played five out of six matches, not playing against the Netherlands in the semifinals. In the finals against Spain, Leão replaced Domingos Quina in the 79th minute; Portugal went on to win the competition for the sixth time, following a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory after a 1–1 draw in extra-time.[53]
With the under-19s, Leão participated in the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, helping finishing as runner-up, after losing in the final to England.[54] At the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland he played all three games and scored the only goal in a 1–1 draw against South Africa, though his side did not advance from the group.[55]
On 10 November 2017, aged only 18, Leão won his first cap for the Portugal under-21 side, playing 31 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against Romania for the 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[56][57] He scored his first goal at that level on 10 September 2019, in a 2–0 victory in Belarus for the 2021 European Championship qualification campaign.[58] In March 2021, Leão took part in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, helping Portugal finish as runners-up, after losing in the final 1–0 to Germany.[59]
Senior
On 5 October 2021, Leão was called up to the senior team for the first time, as a replacement for the injured Rafa Silva.[60] Four days later, he made his international debut, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at half-time and providing the assist for André Silva's goal in a 3–0 friendly defeat of Qatar.[61]
In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[62] being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament.[63] On 25 November, Leão scored his first international goal, closing Portugal's 3–2 group stage win against Ghana.[64] Leão followed with a second World Cup goal on 6 December when he closed Portugal's 6–1 thrashing of Switzerland in the round of 16.[65]
Player profile
Style of play
Leão is regarded as a skillful and technical player, capable of playing on either flank, due to his versatility. Tall and lean, Leão has a burst and speed to match, making him a dynamic forward.[66] Having developed as a centre-forward at youth level, he offers a dynamic presence in the forward line. He stretches and disrupts defences with his movements, with and without the ball.[66] Leão is a prolific and proficient dribbler; he drives from deep and then overtakes players in one-on-one situations around the box with maneuvers and changes to his speed.[66] He is also capable of creating chances and providing assists for teammates from the left due to his vision.[66] Inside the penalty area, he uses dribbles and movement to get into good positions.[66] Leão has also been played as a striker because of his composure and eye for goal.[66] During his managerial spell at Milan, Stefano Pioli deployed Leão as a supporting striker or a winger on either side of the pitch, rather than an out-and-out striker.[67]
Reception
Leão drew comparisons to French player Kylian Mbappé, being called the 'Portuguese Mbappe'.[12] Tiago Fernandes, who worked with him at the Sporting youth academy, told French newspaper L'Équipe that in his opinion the player was better than Cristiano Ronaldo at the same stage.[68] Jesus, who later coached him in the first team, said that he reminded him of former club striker Rui Jordão.[69] Leão's coach at Milan, Stefano Pioli and Italian manager Fabio Capello, compared him to former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.[70]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 4 January 2023[71]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting CP B | 2016–17 | LigaPro | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | LigaPro | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | 11 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 12 | 7 | — | — | — | 12 | 7 | |||||
| Sporting CP | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | |
| Lille | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 8 | ||
| Milan | 2019–20 | Serie A | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 30 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8[a] | 1 | — | 40 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 34 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 4[b] | 1 | — | 42 | 14 | ||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | |
| Total | 110 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 35 | ||
| Career total | 149 | 46 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 177 | 52 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 10 December 2022[72]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 2 | |
| Total | 16 | 2 | |
- As of match played 6 December 2022. Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leão goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 November 2022 | Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar | 12 | Ghana | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 6 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | 15 | Switzerland | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
Sporting CP
AC Milan
Portugal
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2016[53]
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2017[54]
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2021[59]
Individual
- Serie A Most Valuable Player: 2021–22[45]
- Serie A Player of the Month: October 2022[74]
- Serie A Goal of the Month: September 2022[52]
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2021–22[75]
- Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2021–22[75]
References
- ^ (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2019. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Rafael Leão" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ . A.C. Milan. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "Poderá Rafael Leão vir a ser a nova estrela do Sporting?" [Can Rafael Leão be Sporting's next star?]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "RAFAEL LEÃO »» Do futebol de rua nas Paivas à sua passagem pelo Amora" [RAFAEL LEÃO »» From street football at the Paivas to Amora spell]. Jornal de Desporto (in Portuguese). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "COMENTÁRIO: Sporting B empata com Braga B e impede terceiro lugar aos minhotos" [COMMENT: Sporting B draw with Braga B and prevent minhotos from finishing third]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 21 May 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ Marques Simões, Rui (11 February 2018). "Leões vencem Feirense com dois golos tardios" [Lions beat Feirense with two late goals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ ""Rafael Leão tremia por todo o lado"" [«Rafael Leão was shaking all over the place»]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 11 February 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ Tavares Silva, Hugo (2 March 2018). "A lei de Brahimi" [Brahimi's law] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Sporting não venceu o clássico, mas Rafael Leão fez história" [Sporting did not win classic, but Rafael Leão made history] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ Rico, Carolina (14 June 2018). "Rafael Leão rescinde contrato com o Sporting. É o nono" [Rafael Leão terminates contract with Sporting. Going nine] (in Portuguese). TSF. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Rafael Leao: The Lille forward dubbed the 'Portuguese Mbappe'". BBC Sport. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Rafael Leão au LOSC" [Rafael Leão to LOSC] (Press release) (in French). Lille OSC. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "le Sporting Portugal déclare la guerre au Losc" [Sporting Portugal declares war on Losc] (in French). Le Point. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ "Rafael Leão voudrait déjà résilier avec le LOSC!" [Rafael Leão would already like to terminate with LOSC!] (in French). Foot Mercato. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Rafael Leão rescinde com o Lille" [Rafael Leão terminates his contract with Lille] (in Portuguese). Público. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Official - DNCG validates the 4 LOSC contracts, including Rafael Leão" (in French). Made in Foot. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ "Lille against Marseille". EuroSport. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ Lafont, Romain (28 October 2018). "Leao rugit, Lille déroule" [Leao roars (pun on player's name, "Lion" in Portuguese), Lille unwind]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Résultat et résumé Lille - Nice, Ligue 1, 23e journée". L'Équipe (in French). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "Un renfort offensif nommé Rui Fonte" [An attacking addition called Rui Fonte] (in French). Lille OSC. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ "Mercato : Rafael Leão quitte officiellement le LOSC pour le Milan AC". La Voix du Nord (in French). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Transferts : Rafael Leao quitte Lille et s'engage avec l'AC Milan". L'Équipe (in French). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "AC Milan come up short against Udinese". A.C. Milan. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "AC Milan 1–3 Fiorentina". BBC Sport. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Rafael Leao (AC Milan) ordered by the CAS to pay 16.5 million euros to Sporting". L'Équipe (in French). 19 March 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Stefano Pioli: AC Milan boss signs new two-year contract". BBC Sport. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "Milan-Spezia 3-0: Hernandez between Leão's brace" [Milan-Spezia 3-0: Hernandez in mezzo alla doppietta di Leão] (in Italian). Eurosport. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Fallisi, Marco (29 October 2020). "Questo Milan non sbaglia un colpo: tris allo Sparta Praga ed è già fuga" [This Milan doesn't miss a beat: three of a kind at Sparta Prague and it's already an escape]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Leao scores fastest goal in Serie A history". Football Italia. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Greaves, Russell. "Benevento 0-2 Milan: Pioli's men top again despite Tonali red".
- ^ "Giroud double fires AC Milan to win over Cagliari". ESPN. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (15 September 2021). "Liverpool 3–2 AC Milan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ "AC Milan vs. Atlético Madrid (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "AC MILAN v Lazio". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "AC MILAN V LAZIO: THE STATS FROM THE WIN IN THE COPPA ITALIA". acmilan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "AC MILAN V SAMPDORIA: THE STATS FROM THE GAME". acmilan. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ "AC MILAN WIN TO GO TOP". acmilan. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "ROSSONERI HELD TO A DRAW". acmilan. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "AC MILAN V UDINESE: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". acmilan. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "AC MILAN V FIORENTINA: ALL THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". ACMILAN. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Le pagelle di Tonali: siamo a livelli extraterrestre, leader del Diavolo a 22 anni". MilanNews. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "HELLAS VERONA V AC MILAN: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". ACMILAN. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Giroud double in win at Sassuolo helps fire Milan to first Serie A title in 11 years". The Guardian. 22 May 2022.
- ^ a b "MVP Serie A 2021/2022 – Rafael Leao Best Overall". Serie A. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "GdS: Leao the dribbling king in Serie A and among the best in Europe - the numbers". SempreMilancom. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "European Leagues Football Players Statistics 2021/2022". one-versus-one.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Simões, Miguel (27 August 2022). "Rafael Leão marca e assiste no regresso do AC Milan aos triunfos". NoticiasAoMinuto.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Gambino, Simone (3 September 2020). "Milan-Inter 3-2: Leao da un altro pianeta, il Diavolo è ancora il top". Goal (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Del Vecchio, Manuel (11 September 2020). "Sampdoria-Milan, espulso Leao: salterà il Napoli". Milan News (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Rafael Leão supera Ronaldo na Bola de Ouro. Veja a classificação dos portugueses". TSF. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Rafael Leao Wins September's Goal of the Month Presented by Crypto.com". Serie A. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Portugal win second U17 EURO title on penalties". UEFA. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b "European Under-19 Championship: England beat Portugal in final". BBC Sport. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ Fernandes, Mariana (25 May 2019). "Portugal vence Coreia do Sul na estreia no Mundial Sub-20 com golo de Trincão" [Portugal beat South Korea in opening game of the Under-20 World Cup with goal by Trincão]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ Andrade, David (10 November 2017). "Portugal empata na Roménia e complica apuramento" [Portugal draw in Romania and make qualification harder]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Roménia S21 1–1 Portugal S21" [Romania U21 1–1 Portugal U21] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Portugal vence Bielorrússia e sobe à liderança do Grupo 7" [Portugal defeat Belarus and climb to first in Group 7]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Highlights, report: Germany beat Portugal for third U21 EURO title". UEFA.com. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ "Seleção: Fonte, Trincão e Rafael Leão convocados" [National team: Fonte Trincão and Rafael Leão called up] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Portugal 3–0 Qatar – Diogo Costa, Matheus Nunes & Rafael Leão make their Seleção debuts". PortuGOAL. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Thanveer, Dakir Mohammed (25 October 2022). "Portugal reportedly name provisional 55-man squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup; Liverpool star receives surprise call up". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Os 26 convocados de Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio e Matheus Nunes chamados" [Portugal select 26: Gonçalo Ramos, António Silva, Otávio and Matheus Nunes called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Garcia, Adriana (24 November 2022). "Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first male player to score in 5 World Cups". ESPN. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
- ^ "Portugal 6–1 Switzerland". FIFA.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Rafael Leão". 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Del Vecchio, Manuel (25 July 2020). "Pioli su Leao: "Ha un potenziale incredibile. Oggi è entrato bene ma può fare di più"" [Pioli on Leao: "He has an incredible potential. He came on well today but he can do better"] (in Italian). Milan News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "'Better than Cristiano Ronaldo' – Rafael Leao sensational form no surprise to former coach". Goal. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Jorge Jesus compara Rafael Leão a Jordão e faz revelação: "Nos treinos dá cabo do Piccini e do Coates"" [Jorge Jesus compares Rafael Leão to Jordão and makes revelation: "He kills Piccini and Coates in training"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Is Rafael Leao really the new Henry? Ibrahimovic's 'little brother' finally realising potential at AC Milan".
- ^ Rafael Leão at Soccerway
- ^ "Rafael Leão". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years". News18 India. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Rafael Leao EA Sports Player Of The Month for October". Serie A. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Milan pigliatutto, premiati Pioli, Maldini e 4 giocatori. Leao il migliore: "Qui sono maturato"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
External links
- at ForaDeJogo (archived)
- Portuguese League profile (in Portuguese)
- Rafael Leão national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)
- Rafael Leão at National-Football-Teams.com