аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Rafael Leao by Werner100359 –

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Football Star Rafael Leão

Dubbed ‘Portuguese Mbappe’, Rafael Leao is a Portuguese professional footballer currently playing at Italian Serie A club AC Milan. Leao was born on 10th June 1999 in Almada Portugal. At 23 years of age (as of 2022), he is one of the biggest football stars in European football.

Leao is also a member of Portugal’s international football team and is primed to play at the world cup. Leao was a prospect from a very young age. He has played for top clubs in Europe including Sporting CP, Lille, and now AC Milan.

Let’s take a look into some facts about Rafael Leao’s personal life as well as his professional career.

1. Started His Football Journey At 9 Years of Age

At age 9, Leao had a short stint at Amora sports club. It was here that Sporting CP’s youth scouts spotted him and recruited him to join their rankings. Sporting CP, a club in Lisbon, is one of the footballing giants in Portugal having never been relegated alongside Benfica and FC. Porto.

After years in the Sporting CP youth system, Leao finally made his professional debut for Sporting CP B on 21st May 2017. This was as a second-half substitute against Braga B where he scored in the 1-1 draw. He went on to make 12 appearances for the reserves team scoring 7 goals.

2. Made His Sporting CP Debut in 2018

Rafael Leao, back line second from left in the 2017/18 season – by Werner100359 –

On 11th February 2018, Rafael Leao made his senior club football debut. This was courtesy of the Sporting CP manager Jorge Jesus.

Jorge Jesus is a professional football manager and former player. He was the Sporting CP manager between 2015 and 2018. Since then, he has managed Flamengo, Benfica, and currently (2022) Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Leao played for 21 minutes on his debut replacing Bryan Ruiz in the 2-0 home win against Feirense. However, Leao’s spell at Sporting CP was cut short controversially after only three games and one goal. The lone goal came against Porto which made him Sporting’s youngest scorer against them.

3. He Unilaterally Terminated His Contract at Sporting CP

A controversial interaction with fans and a contractual loophole under Portuguese law led to Leao terminating his contract at Sporting. Let’s take a look at what happened…

A brawl broke out at the Sporting training grounds in Lisbon in 2018. After a loss, the supporters entered the players’ offices and locker rooms and started fighting with several of them, including Rafael Leao.

Under Portuguese law, a person under contract can unilaterally terminate the contract for just cause if put in danger or difficulty in the workplace. Leo put this law into use and he, among several other players decided to terminate their contracts.

Among those who terminated their contracts include Podence (Wolves), William Carvalho (Betis), and Rui Patricio (Roma).

4. His Move to Lille Was Contested by Sporting CP

Judge’s hammer by 2541163 from

On August 8th, 2018, Leao completed his free transfer move to Lille signing for the club on a five-year deal. After the move was announced, Sporting CP disputed the deal claiming it was ‘unacceptable’ and a breach of contract.

Sporting filed a complaint with FIFA over the move and claimed they were owed his €45million (£37.7m) release clause. In March 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered Leao to pay £13.8million to Sporting.

The CAS deemed this value to be fair compensation for the move instead of the full release clause. Leao has unsuccessfully contested the decision but Sporting is proceeding with its legal claim aiming to receive more compensation from Lille.

5. He Almost Terminated His Lille Contract Before His Debut

Leao’s move to Lille was controversial due to the circumstances under which he left Sporting. On joining Lille, despite being on the media’s alert, he almost made the news again by terminating his second professional contract.

After joining Lille, sanctions were imposed on the club by the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG). These sanctions put an embargo on Lille due to the club’s financial difficulties. This meant that despite signing for the club, his move could not be approved by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).

After assessing his situation, Leao and his team almost terminated the contract with Lille. However, he was convinced that Lille was the right move for him and he stayed. Shortly after, his move along with other pending contracts for the club was approved.

6. He Had a Successful Season at Lille

Rafael Leão with Lille during summer pre-season in August 2018 by HelpDisinterested –

Leao made his competitive debut for Lille on 30th September 2018 against Marseille. They won the game 3-0. He scored his first goal in his second appearance which Lille won due to his lone goal.

During his Spell at Lille, Leao played 26 competitive matches scoring 8 times. At Lille, he played alongside Portuguese compatriots such as Jose Fonte, Xeka, and Rui Fonte.

7. Moved to AC Milan after a single season at Lille

In the summer 2019 transfer window, European giants from Italy, AC Milan, came calling for Leao. Due to the stature of the club and its commitment to supporting young players, he was much obliged.

On 1st August 2019, Leao signed a five-year deal with AC Milan from Lille. He signed for a fee of €35 million plus a 20% sell-on clause.

Leao has played at AC Milan since making 103 competitive appearances for the red and black and scoring 27 goals. He made his Serie A debut on 25th August in a 1-0 defeat to Udinese. His first goal came in a 3-1 home loss to Fiorentina on 29th September 2019.

8. Holds the Record for The Fastest Goal in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues

On 20th December 2020, AC played Sassuolo at home and won 2-1. This game while a win is memorable since the fastest goal in Europe’s top five leagues was scored then.

Leao was the scorer of said goal. After the kick-off whistle went, AC Milan’s front five sprinted toward Sassuolo’s goal. When the ball was handed to Leao, he made no mistake because Sassuolo was unable to follow his run.

 He put the ball in the back of the net within 6.2 seconds setting a record that will most likely not be broken any time soon.

9. One of the Best Dribblers in European football Currently

Vinicius Junior dribbling vs Juventus players by All-Pro Reels –

Other than immaculate playmaking and deft finishing skills, one of Leao’s standout qualities is dribbling. While at AC Milan, he has established himself as one of the best dribblers in Serie A completing 186 dribbles in the 2021/22 season.

He is ranked as the 3rd best dribbler among players in Europe. He is beaten by Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior with 210 dribbles and Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin with 205.

10. Got His First International Call Up in 2021

On October 5th, 2021, Leao was called up to Portugal’s senior team after years in their youth squad. His call-up came as a replacement for Rafa Silva who was injured after being called up.

He made his debut on 9th October (4 days later) replacing captain (GOAT to some) Cristiano Ronaldo. In his debut, Leao provided an assist to Andre Silva as Portugal beat Qatar 3-0 in a friendly.