GdS: ‘Finally Leao’ – why Milan and Allegri can count on an ‘extra man’ vs. Napoli

When the AC Milan fans check the team sheet an hour before the Napoli game, they will see a reassuring name: Rafael Leao.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write, Leao will be back to face the champions, but he will not start. For those players like Rafa who base their game on power and speed, muscles like the calf require the utmost care.

Leao may seem like he drifts around the field for large parts, but when it comes to his physique he takes things very seriously, so much so that he even has a personal trainer to coach him in his spare time.

Maximum caution

Leao came off shortly after scoring the first goal of Milan’s 2025-26 season against Bari in the Coppa Italia. It was thought to be a short absence, though he then missed the Cremonese and Lecce games, with prudence the watchword.

More than a month has passed since then: there have been no further problems, it’s just that Leao’s muscle fibres are delicate, combined with his playing style, which places particular demands on them. Sprints and sudden accelerations mean the machine needs to be in perfect working order.

He has been sidelined for over a month, and it wouldn’t make sense to ask him to immediately increase his speed by starting him. Test runs are needed first, followed by a gradual introduction to the track.

The tests were carried out in training: Rafa returned to work with the group on Thursday and confirmed the positive results yesterday, with high-intensity work. He will also have time to warm up today and Sunday morning. If required tomorrow evening, he will then be ready to come on.

A favourite nemesis

Fun fact: this is the third time in a row that Rafa and Napoli have met like this. In last season’s two matches, Leao was benched, first by Fonseca in the first match and then by Conceiçao in the return fixture, for strictly technical reasons.

Leao’s performances are memorable under Stefano Pioli and in a couple of away games above all: the Portuguese scored a brace in Napoli 0-4 Milan in April 2023, and got that amazing assist for Olivier Giroud in the Champions League quarter-final second leg later that season.

Now things are different, for Leao and Milan. He is no longer out wide and instead is asked to be the focal point inside the penalty area. Against Bari, his only appearance so far, he scored with a header which shows a willingness to crash the net.

Max also demands this from his new striker. In addition to a different attitude, with Allegri finally seeming to be listened to: on his debut, he wasn’t a distracted and slow-moving player, but a talent who has settled into his new role as leader and is focused from the moment he enters the pitch.

Even when injured, he still had his uses: he was a positive presence for the group, for example with the Instagram story dedicated to Santi Gimenez after his goal. He showed team spirit. Now, he can show Milan what they were missing on the field too.