Zlatan Ibrahimovic, former Swedish striker and current senior advisor at AC Milan, has given a ringing endorsement of Rafael Leao’s abilities. Speaking to DAZN before Milan’s match against Juventus, Ibrahimovic shared his thoughts on the Portuguese winger and other key players.
On his own condition, Ibrahimovic stated, “I’m doing well, I’m always charged up.”
Regarding Leao, Ibrahimovic expressed his pride in the player’s development: “I’ve always been proud of him. When I first met him, he was just a kid. Now he’s grown up, more adult and mature. He’s a footballer now, before he was potential talent.” He added, “There are more wow and less wow moments for everyone, the important thing is to keep the less wow moments as high as possible.”
Ibrahimovic believes Leao may not fully realize his own potential: “In my opinion, he doesn’t know how strong he is. When he understands it, everything will come out. He has this pressure because he’s one of the strongest of all, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about him. For us, he is. The question is whether he knows how strong he is.”
On how he approaches motivating Leao, Ibrahimovic explained, “It’s a balance. If you tell a person every day that they’re the strongest, maybe they relax. It depends on the player’s character and who they are. The player also has the responsibility to do more, but everyone is different.”
Ibrahimovic also commented on Alvaro Morata’s condition and importance to the team: “Morata took a hit to the head and missed the Cagliari game. Then he played a bit for the national team and trained with the squad. We are very satisfied, we knew what he brings. He’s a collective player, he doesn’t score 50 goals a year but he helps his teammates. He’s one of those leaders who helps the team not only on the field.”
