Rafael Leão voices desire to play for Flamengo in future | OneFootball

Rafael Leão, the Milan and Portugal forward, has expressed a desire to play for Flamengo in the future, citing admiration for the Rio club and its profile in Europe. He is back in Brazil for the post-World Cup break.

"It is Flamengo, obviously. I have an admiration for them. Flamengo have a very big name in Europe. They were in Portugal recently, in the Algarve, and you could feel the presence of many Brazilian Flamengo supporters," he told ESPN.

Currently in São Paulo, he is keeping fit at Corinthians’ training centre. During a previous holiday in 2024, he posted videos wearing Flamengo’s shirt, and he says he identifies strongly with Brazilian culture.

The 27-year-old is not at his peak in Europe. He hit his high in 2022, starring as Milan won the Italian title.

Since then his form has fluctuated, and injuries disrupted last season. He finished with 31 appearances and 10 goals. At the last World Cup he made one goal and one assist across five matches for Portugal, starting only once, a 2-1 win over Croatia, before champions Spain knocked them out in the last 16.

Source: Globo.com