Rafael Leao

Full name: Rafael Leao

Date of birth: 10 June 1999

Place of birth: Almada , Portugal

Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

Position: Striker

Number: #

National team: Portugal

Nationality: Portugal/Angola

Foot: Right

Agent: /

Joined: 01 August 2019

Contract until: 30.06.2024

Rafael Alexandre Conceicao Leao is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Italian club A.C. Milan as a forward.

Rafael Leao drew comparisons to French player Kylian Mbappe, being called the ‘Portuguese Mbappe’. Tiago Fernandes, who worked with him at the Sporting youth academy, told French newspaper L’Equipe that in his opinion the player was better than Cristiano Ronaldo at the same stage.

Jorge Jesus, who later coached him in the first team, said that Leao reminded him of former club striker Rui Jordao.

On 1 August 2019, Leao signed a five-year contract at A.C. Milan.

It is still not known which jersey number Leao will wear, as soon as the information is available we are going to update this page.

Sporting
Born in Almada, Setúbal District of Angolan descent, Rafael Leao joined Sporting CP’s youth system at the age of 9 after a brief spell in Amora FC. 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 S.C. Braga B.

Courtesy of manager Jorge Jesus, Rafael Leao 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 C.D. Feirense. 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 1–2 away loss to FC Porto– in the process, he became the club’s youngest-ever scorer against that opposition.

On 14 June 2018, Leão unilaterally terminated his contract at the Estádio José Alvalade, citing an incident where players and staff had been attacked by fans during training.

Lille
On 8 August 2018, Leao joined French club Lille OSC on a free transfer, signing a five-year deal. He scored his first Ligue 1 goal in only his second appearance, playing 67 minutes and helping the hosts beat Stade Malherbe Caen 1–0.

On 10 November 2017, aged only 18, Leao 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.