“I can reach his level, but I’m not a selfish player” - Portugal star makes interesting claim on matching Cristiano Ronaldo
AC Milan winger Rafael Leao has said that he idolises Cristiano Ronaldo but will never reach his level because he's not as selfish in front of goal.
Leao began his professional career at Sporting CP in 2017 before making a name for himself at Lille during the 2018-19 season. The 24-year-old has plied his trade for AC Milan since 2019, where he has scored 47 goals and provided 41 assists in 183 appearances across competitions, winning the 2021-22 Serie A title.
The Portugal international developed as a forward before his time at AC Milan but is being deployed as a left-winger by manager Stefano Pioli. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Leao is a tall and technical player, who can cause devastation to the best defenses in the world with his stellar dribbling, movement and speed.
Leao told journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that he prefers to find his teammates in front of goal, insinuating that Ronaldo does not (as per Nacionale):
"The idol? Cristiano Ronaldo. I can reach his level, but I'm not a selfish player. I can score goals, but if I have a teammate near me, then I pass the ball to him.
"Numbers make the difference. Mbappe, Ronaldo, Haaland are at a high level, the numbers speak for them. If I become selfish, then I will reach those levels."
While Leao is talented to develop into a world-class winger, he has a lot more to achieve to come near Ronaldo's total tally. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the leading goal scorer of all time, netting 873 goals and providing 249 assists in 1204 appearances for club and country across competitions.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez explains what makes Cristiano Ronaldo unique from his peers
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez reckons Cristiano Ronaldo's positive and competitive attitude in training differentiates him from the rest of his peers.
Despite being in the twilight of his phenomenal career, at the age of 38, Ronaldo is still going strong for both Portugal and Al-Nassr. He scored 54 goals in 2023 across competitions, making him the highest goalscorer, above Erling Haaland and Harry Kane (both 52).
Martinez told The Times (via GOAL):
“Cristiano, first and foremost, is happy. What shocked me was how fresh he is with his approach in football: someone of 38 comes to training and wants to win every exercise, win every race and is the last one leaving.”
Ronaldo has been in fine form for Al-Nassr this season, bagging 24 goals and 11 assists in 25 appearances, including a league-leading 20 goals in the Saudi Pro League.