Rafael Leao s pace, power and flair invokes memories of Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario, while only Cristiano Ronaldo was as talented as the Milan winger aged 18 at Sporting CP.
That is according to former Sporting coach Tiago Fernandes, who worked with Leao as he came through the ranks at the Portuguese club and coached a young Ronaldo before he joined Manchester United.
Leao has become central to Stefano Pioli s plans at Milan this season as the Rossoneri seek a first Scudetto since the 2010-11 campaign, sitting two points clear of Inter with two Serie A games left to play.
The 22-year-old starred in the 3-1 comeback victory at Hellas Verona on Sunday, driving down the left flank to provide two almost identical assists for birthday boy Sandro Tonali to score.
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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Levi Garcia from AEK Athens in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Tottenham are looking for a new player to reinforce their attack, and that Garcia is a player on their radar.
Fichajes has claimed that although AEK Athens do not want to sell Garcia, they know that they cannot keep hold of him and would have to let him go if a good offer comes in. Spurs have not made a bid for the the 26-year-old yet.
Garcia, who can operate as a forward or as a winger, has been on the books of AEK Athens since 2020 and has established himself as a key player for the Greek club. The Trinidad and Tobago international scored 11 goals and gave two assists in 12 Super League 1 matches and scored two goals and pro…
Liverpool loanee Adam Lewis has been flooded with messages to send Manchester United out of the FA Cup at Newport and says he has been in contact with “good mate” Mason Mount about it.
Left-back Lewis is in his second temporary spell at League Two Newport and will be thrust into the spotlight on Sunday when United make their first trip to Rodney Parade for a fourth round tie.
Ever since Newport eased past Eastleigh in their third-round replay, Lewis says his phone has not stopped pinging with messages from his native Merseyside insisting Liverpool’s bitter rivals are dumped out of the cup.
“I’ve had tons of messages this week saying ‘Get stuck into them’ and make sure you win,” said the 24-year-old, who has had previous loan spells at Livingston, …
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal should be in the running to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris St Germain this summer .
The France forward, who has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, announced on Thursday that he will leave the Ligue 1 champions when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Arteta feels that signing Mbappe would match Arsenal’s ambitions of becoming the “best team”.
When asked if Arsenal should be interested in the 25-year-old, Arteta said: “Absolutely. Why not? If we want to be the best team then we are going to need the best talent and the best players for sure.
“When there is a player of that calibre then we always need to be in the conversation but it looks like (his future) is in a different way.”
Arte…
Borussia Dortmund will not go easy on Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they look to maintain their rhythm ahead of the Champions League final, says coach Edin Terzic.
Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga with two games remaining, with the performances of German clubs in Europe ensuring that will be enough for Champions League participation next season.
They are also building towards their third appearance in the final of Europe s premier club competition, having overcome Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the last four.
While all eyes will soon turn to their trip to Wembley Stadium to face Real Madrid on June 1, Terzic is determined that his side maintain their intensity levels, even if he rotates his squad.
Through this rotation we not only k…
Barcelona have denied allegations claiming president Joan Laporta broke club rules when handing out the Camp Nou development contract.
The Espai Barca project was first approved in April 2014, when club members voted in favour of the massive remodelling job that would develop Camp Nou and the surrounding areas.
A further referendum in April 2021 ratified the financial proposal that took the project s maximum budget to €1.5billion.
It will lead to the stadium s capacity increasing by 6,000 to 105,000 spectators plus the installation of a retractable roof, while 40,000 square metres of land is set to be improved.
An announcement earlier this month confirmed Turkish company Limak would be in charge of remodelling the stadium, but a report by Spanish digita…
England forward Fran Kirby has extended her Chelsea contract by another year.
Kirby, who signed a two-year deal in 2021 that included the option of a further 12 months, joined the Blues from Reading in 2015 and has gone on to become the Women’s Super League club’s leading scorer with 110 goals in 175 appearances.
During her time with Chelsea, Kirby has won 13 trophies, including five WSL titles as well as the FA Cup on four occasions.
Another year of !
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW)
Kirby was also part of the England side which won the European Championship on home soil last summer, but has been ruled out of this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after needing knee surgery.
The 29-year-old suffered the injury during…
World Cup winner Philipp Lahm will head the organising committee for Euro 2024 if the tournament is staged in Germany, the German Football Association (DFB) has announced.
Having hosted the World Cup in 2006, the DFB are hoping to bring the European Championship to Germany in six years time having submitted their bid along with an application from Turkey.
Lahm is already being lined up for a key role in any successful German bid, with the former Bayern Munich defender set to be the tournament s director.
It was my desire to take on long-term responsibilities from the beginning as an ambassador for Euro 2024, Lahm said.
The new role as a tournament director gives me a very interesting opportunity.
The vote to determine who will host Euro 202…
Lionel Scaloni says there will be a place for Lionel Messi in Argentina s 2026 World Cup squad if he has a change of heart after he lifted the trophy for the first time in Qatar on Sunday.
Messi scored twice in an incredible final against France, which the Albiceleste won 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Argentina looked to be cruising to victory after goals from Messi and Angel Di Maria put them two up at the break, but Kylian Mbappe s late quickfire double forced extra time.
Messi put the Copa America champions back ahead in the additional 30 minutes, only for Mbappe to level once more for his hat-trick and take the game all the way to penalties.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman failed to convert in the shoot-out, which Gonzalo Mon…
Arsenal should be labelled as favourites in the north London derby, but Harry Redknapp says Harry Kane will always give his old team Tottenham a fighting chance.
Premier League leaders Arsenal make the short trip across the capital to face their rivals on Sunday.
A 3-0 defeat to Antonio Conte s team in the corresponding fixture last season was the start of Arsenal s capitulation in the run-in, which saw them miss out on the Champions League.
Yet Mikel Arteta s side are flying high this term and, having beat Spurs 3-1 in October, Arsenal are looking to complete their first league double over their rivals since 2013-14, which was also their last league victory away at Tottenham.
Former Spurs manager Redknapp believes Arsenal have the edge, but is confident …