Rafael Leao made a controversial statement when talking about senior Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portuguese national team.

In an interview with Sky Sport, Rafael Leao said he doesn’t have any idol wearing shirt number 10: “My favorite player wears shirt number 7, that is Cristiano Ronaldo”.

After that, the reporter asked Leao another question: “What do you think you’re lacking to reach Ronaldo’s level?”. The striker playing for AC Milan replied: “I can reach that level, but I will not play selfishly. Besides scoring goals, I can also create assists. I will pass to a teammate if he or she is in a more favorable position. When you play football at the highest level, numbers make a difference. Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland did it. I think I can do the same thing as them”.

When Ronaldo was still playing in Serie A, Leao was still just a young talent.

In addition, Leao also named himself in the best squad in the world today: “Even though other players of the same age are playing at a higher level, I am still quite confident about my performance” .

Leao was born in 1999 and is among the top wingers in the world. The Portuguese star possesses a fairly comprehensive set of skills, from the ability to dribble, finish to create. In the 2022/23 season, Leao reached his peak with 15 goals and 8 assists in Serie A. This season, the Portuguese player has somewhat declined with only 3 goals and 4 assists in 15 matches. into the field. Leao’s poor form is one of the reasons why Milan is 9 points behind Inter in the 2023/24 Serie A championship race.

At the national level, Leao is also a pillar of Portugal. In the EURO 2024 qualifying campaign, the 24-year-old player appeared in 7 matches, scored 1 goal and assisted 2 times, thereby helping his home team win first place in the group.