Ibrahimovic hails ex-Sporting winger: Won the league solo | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic defends former Sporting player Rafael Leão from criticism and says the forward needs to regain his fitness

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an avowed admirer of Rafael Leão — who went through a tense moment with Massimiliano Allegri. Now retired from the pitch, the current Milan advisor recalled the former Sporting player’s 2021/22 Serie A campaign to respond to the criticism the Portugal international has been facing.

"In Turin, I was in the locker room. Everyone was angry, everyone, Allegri, because we could have won. And Leão too, who had missed two goals. Let’s remember that during pre-season he was the best, then he was out for two months [due to injury], now he has to get back in shape," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Of course we expect magic, because Leão is magic!" Ibrahimovic assured, recalling great performances by the former Sporting player: "Of course we’re always going to talk about him, because he’s one of the best players in the world, and I don’t say this for marketing, but because I played football. I saw him when he was a kid, now he has two children: it’s a journey. They say he’s already 26, but I matured at 28. And, in any case, when we won the league [in 2021/22], I can say that he won it by himself..."

In the current 2025/26 season, his seventh at Milan, Rafael Leão — valued at 70 million euros — has played three games for the Rossoneri. Over the 65 minutes played, the former Sporting player scored one goal and is still looking for his first assist.

Rafael Leão made his debut for Sporting’s first team in the 2017/18 season, by decision of Jorge Jesus. In that game, the now Portugal international scored in the Clássico against Porto, at Estádio do Dragão. His stay at the Alvalade club did not end in the best way, as in the summer of 2018 he unilaterally terminated his contract with the green and whites after the attack on the Academy, signing for Lille on a free.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.