Rafael Leao talked about his contract renewal with Milan, saying it was always his goal to remain with the Rossoneri: “I feel at home”. The Portuguese star put pen to paper on a new contract that extends his stay with Milan until 2028 with a reported €175 million release clause included in the deal. Speaking with MilanTV, the 23-year-old opened up about the contract deal and explained why he was adamant to remain with the Rossoneri:
On the renewal…
“I’m very happy because extending the contract is what I wanted. I told the club and my teammates that my goal was to stay here. Eventually, we managed to reach an agreement for me to continue here.
On Milan…
“Milano is my home. The day I arrived, everyone welcomed me with open arms. Everyone supported me during the difficult times. Here I can improve on a daily basis, I feel at home. Thanks to the faith in me, I can reach the top and win trophies here.
“Everybody at Milan is like family to me, they are helping me big time in doing what I’m doing on the pitch. This enables me to be an important player for the team. That’s what I was looking for before I joined Milan.”
On the first two seasons and his rise…
“My numbers were pretty low in the first two seasons here. I may have left one or two players trailing but I didn’t score when I got a sight of goal. These days, I’m a different player, more responsible and aware of when I need to shoot and when I need to pass. I’ve become a lot more efficient as well, thanks to the work in training and the help of the coach.”
On Pioli…
“At a certain point, it dawned on Pioli how to raise my level and what I needed to make a difference. Off the pitch, he gives me advice every single day. My goal is to win as many competitions as possible here, and I want to relive the emotions of winning the Scudetto, that’s when I realised the size of this club.”
On Milano again…
“Milano is similar to Portugal, the weather is nice and the food is great, and for shopping it’s also great. For young people the city is amazing. It took me some time to adapt, but living here as always been fun, and Italian is similar to Portuguese.”
On the renewal…
“I want to thank the club for their hard work in ensuring that the best players stay here. Last year we showed everybody that this blend of younger and older players can make a strong team. I’m delighted that I can continue playing with them.”
On the teammate that has improved him the most…
“All of them, but clearly Ibra is like an older brother. He has so much experience which is important for us younger players. He taught me to never give up, and even if I had already scored a goal he was always urging me to do more. Before an important game, he tells me to show everybody who I am.”
On the Duomo…
“I remember when we had the celebration here with the bus. Seeing the plaza covered in red and black, was the highlight of my footballing career, I’ve never experienced anything like it. Only after wearing the shirt in front of the fans at San Siro did I realise that it’s not easy, the shirt weighs a lot. Thank you everybody!”
