Milan captain Davide Calabria believes his clubmate Rafael Leao is ‘Ballon d’Or material.’ But he also highlights one aspect of the game the Portuguese star must improve on to reach Kylian Mbappe’s level.
During an interview with RadioTV Serie A via TMW, Calabria discussed Leao’s unquestionable talent.
“Leao represents the joy of the game, he has an innate talent that allows him to have an edge. If he becomes more aware of his talent, he could become number one in the world, I think he’s a Ballon d’Or player.“
However, the Milan skipper insists Leao has to become more lethal in front of goal to bolster his chances of lifting the most prestigious individual prize in football.
“On a technical level, with his physical characteristics, I don’t see many like him. If he had Mbappe’s killer instinct in front of goal, I think he could win the Ballon d’Or.“
Leao is one of Europe’s finest forwards, even though he has only managed four goals in 25 Serie A appearances this season. His unique ability to breeze past his markers, courtesy of his dazzling skills and intimidating burst of pace, has made him among the most in-demand players.
Faced with a near-inevitable departure of Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain have earmarked the 24-year-old Milan talisman as one of their top targets for the summer. Numerous leading bookmakers, as witnessed by top betting sites not on GamStop, see the perennial Ligue 1 champions as the frontrunners to sign Leao.
However, his contract at San Siro runs out in 2028. That puts Milan in a position of strength, with the 19-time Italian champions hellbent on fending off foreign suitors. Even if he does leave, his departure would probably mark the most expensive sale in Rossoneri’s history. But the club’s priority is to keep hold of their headline performer.
Leao played an influential role in Milan’s scintillating 7-3 aggregate triumph against Slavia Praha in their Europa League last-16 tie, scoring a goal and adding three assists to help his side set up a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown against Roma. Stefano Pioli will be desperate to have his star forward in a similar vein when Rossoneri take on Fiorentina on Sunday.
Overhauling a 14-point deficit on runaway Serie A leaders is a textbook definition of ‘mission impossible.’ But after stringing together three league victories, Milan will touch down in Tuscany in a buoyant mood, with Leao likely to lead the charge up top alongside Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic.