Rafael Leao

Rafael Alexandre da Conceicao Leao (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁafaˈɛɫ ˈljɐ̃w̃]; born 10 June 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Milan.

Club Career

Sporting

Born in Almada, Setubal District of Angolan descent, 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, 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, Leao unilaterally terminated his contract at the Estadio Jose 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.

During his spell, Leao shared teams with compatriots Jose Fonte, Rui Fonte, Edgar Ie and Xeka.

AC Milan

On 1 August 2019, Leao signed a five-year contract at AC Milan. He made his Serie A debut 24 days later, as a 75th-minute substitute for Samu Castillejo in a 1–0 away defeat to Udinese Calcio, and scored his first goal as a late consolation in a 3–1 home loss to ACF Fiorentina on 29 September.

Leao scored the fastest goal in the history of the Serie A on 20 December 2020, away against U.S. Sassuolo Calci

This page also has a version in other languages :  Рафаэл Леау (russian)