Portugal and AC Milan Star Reveals What It Means to Be Teammates With Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic at the Same Time

Portugal and AC Milan Star Reveals What It Means to Be Teammates With Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic at the Same Time

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:50 PM
  • Rafael Leao plays for Portugal national football team as well as Italian Club AC Milan alongside top footballers
  • At club level, the 22-year-old plays alongside Sweden sensation Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Ronaldo is his captain in the national team
  • Leao said he learns a lot from both superstars as he further added that he admires Cristiano Ronaldo a lot

A Portuguese international and AC Milan star Rafael Leao has described what it feels like to be teammates with superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rossoneriblog reports.

Leao has opened up on his experiences playing alongside the legends despite that he is just 22 years of age.

Speaking during a press conference ahead of Portugal’s match against Northern Ireland, Leao says he learns alot from both stars.

Rafael Leao
Rafael Leao delighted to be teammates with Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic. Photo: David S. Bustamante
Source: Getty Images

When asked what it was like to play with Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo, Leao said via Sport Skeeda:

“They are two players who I admire a lot, and I always try to learn from them.
"But of course I am happiest to be able to share the pitch with Cristiano because he is a player I admire a lot.”

The admiration of Cristiano Ronaldo by the AC Milan winger does not come in as a surprise as he also began his professional career at Lisbon's academy, rising through the ranks before making it into the first team.

Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Sporting to join Manchester United, where he was molded into the world-class star he is now known to be. Following spells at Real Madrid and Juventus, the Portuguese legend is now back at Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic speaks on Mbappe's future

Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic has stated that to become the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe must "taste blood and walk on fire".

Many have tipped Mbappe to go on to become a great player over the next decade following his exploits for Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 22-year-old has already scored 165 senior career goals as was also part of the French team that won the World Cup in 2018 following his impressive show in Russia.

So far, Mbappe has won eight major titles since his move to PSG back in 2017 while Ibrahimovic won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles during a trophy-laden stint with the club between 2012 and 2016.

How Zlatan Ibrahimovic was recalled into the national team

Legit.ng earlier reported thta tears got the better of AC Milan ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic earlier as he made a return to the Sweden national football team for the first time in five years.

Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2016 and looked to have played his last match for his country.

However, he earned a recall to the squad for the World Cup qualifiers this week, thanks to his sparkling form with Milan.

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Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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