Who is Rafa Leao? The 'new Thierry Henry' wanted by Chelsea and Man Utd

Updated: 4 Jan 2023 15:52 GMT
5 min read

Rafael Leao, Milan, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Rafa Leao is attracting the interest of Chelsea, Manchester United and more following his electric performances with AC Milan.

The Portuguese youngster scored 11 and assisted 10 as Milan won the Scudetto last season, and he has picked up where he left off this term with seven and five in each column.

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As a result, he has attracted interest from a host of big clubs around Europe.

READ: Bad news for Chelsea as Rafa Leao close to new Milan contract

So what do we know about the Portugal international?

How old is Rafa Leao?

Leao was born on 10 June 1999. He is 23 years old.

What position does Rafa Leao play?

Leao is an attacker, whose best role is as a left outside forward. He has featured mostly for AC Milan on the left wing in a 4-2-3-1 but he has also played as the lone attacker on occasion.

How good is Rafael Leao?

Leao has long been tipped for big things and was labelled as the 'Portuguese Mbappe' when AC Milan paid €23 million to sign him from Lille as a 20-year-old in 2019.

READ: How Nkunku transfer affects Chelsea’s move for Rafa Leao

However, his first two seasons at Milan were mixed. He showed flashes of his talent at times but was very raw and inconsistent as he managed 13 goals and seven assists over those two campaigns.

In 2021-22, though, Leao exploded into one of the most terrifying young outside forwards in world football.

At the midway point of the current Serie A campaign, Leao has 10 goal-involvements at a rate of one every 110 minutes he has played.

He is Milan’s top-scorer and has played a key role in taking the Rossoneri up to second in Serie A, hot on Napoli's heels.

The 23-year-old is blessed with blistering pace and acceleration and is virtually unstoppable one-on-one when he attacks his man down the left flank.

© ProShots - Rafa Leao has exploded in 2021-22

The way that he glides past the full-back with such ease and elegance is reminiscent of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry during his early days playing as a left-winger for Monaco in the 1990s.

Indeed, Milan coach Stefano Pioli has compared Leao to Henry himself.

"He has the qualities to reach the top of Europe and the world.

"He reminds me of Henry, but it is true that Rafa must be himself. Leao is an extraordinary player, but he mustn't rest on his laurels."

Like Henry, Leao also often cuts in from the left-hand side before side-footing low accurate shots into the far corner of the net past the goalkeeper.

He is also capable of moments of technical brilliance, such as the stunning bicycle kick that hit the crossbar in the Champions League home clash with Atletico Madrid last season.

Leao 💯🔴⚫
A great achievement to celebrate! 🏅

Un grande traguardo va celebrato! 🏅
We gooo, Rafa 🏄#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/hXHyDEHu0u
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 16, 2022

Despite his young age, he already has played almost 200 times in his career and he has also broken into a talented Portugal national team squad, winning 16 caps.

He has arguably become Milan’s most important attacking player now, and Pioli says he has all the attributes to reach the very top.

What clubs are interested in Rafael Leao?

Chelsea are the most interested club in Leao, according to various reports in England and Italy. The Blues need to sign a top-class attacker this summer, with question marks on the fitness of in-bound RB Leipzig man Christopher Nkunku.

In england, they face competition from Manchesters City and United, as well as Newcastle.

Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have also sent scouts to watch Leao before now.

However, Milan have no intention of selling the Portuguese youngster and want to build their attack around him in the coming years.

Indeed, they are in negotiations over a new contract worth a basic €7 million a year and are optimistic of agreeing a deal in the next month.