In the wake of Milan’s hard-fought victory over Udinese, attention has shifted to Rafael Leao, who remained on the bench for the entire 90 minutes. Former Milan defender Billy Costacurta shared his thoughts on the matter during a Sky Sports interview, offering a critical perspective on Leao’s perceived talent and impact.
Costacurta began by questioning the focus on Leao: “We keep talking about Leao, but in terms of performance, he’s perhaps twelfth on the list. Why do we talk about Leao? Because we expect so much. Isn’t Thiago Motta doing the same thing with Douglas Luiz? The idea that everyone should be treated the same is a fairy tale.”
The ex-defender then delved into the concept of talent, breaking it down into several criteria: “We always talk about talent, but talent should be divided into 5-6 criteria. What talent does Leao have? In terms of physical prowess, he’s among the top ten players at the moment. Speed too. Technique at speed? Very good. But what about shots on goal and assists? Is he among the top 100? I don’t think so. In terms of being a natural leader, is he among the top 150? I don’t think so.”
Costacurta went on to compare Leao’s impact to that of other players, notably Fofana: “The message Fofana sends in these situations is different. Would one say Fofana is talented? No. And yet he has a wonderful talent for inspiring the team, which is perhaps even more important than technical talent.”
He also drew parallels to his time at Milan, citing Gennaro Gattuso as an example of a player whose mental strength and leadership compensated for initial technical limitations: “Gattuso came to Milan not even knowing how to juggle. But he played for 10 years at the highest levels, became a world champion, with his talent for mentality and leadership.”
Regarding Paulo Fonseca’s decision to bench Leao, Costacurta speculated: “I think Fonseca has been communicating with the players during the week. He wanted to convey, in my opinion, to the media and externally, that he was tired of enduring certain situations. The penalty situation was even more serious than the one in Rome. I believe he wanted to make himself heard about that, taking back control of the team and showing it first in words and then in team selection.”
Costacurta concluded by praising the performance of Leao’s replacement: “He made a lineup that responded well to him, the team responded well, as he wanted. And those who were left out must understand this. The one who played yesterday in place of Leao (Okafor) played better than Leao!”
