Photo: Heat map shows just how important Rabiot’s movement is for Milan

Adrien Rabiot played a key role in AC Milan’s narrow win against Cagliari last night, not just getting the assist but also making life difficult for the opponents with his movement. 

It has been said many times before this season already, but Rabiot could end up being one of the best signings of the season in Serie A. Costing less than €10m, and with so much experience in the league, it’s a deal that continues to amaze us.

Yesterday, the Frenchman was named the MOTM in our player ratings, as well as the ratings handed out by the Italian papers. The lovely assist for Rafael Leao played a part in this, but his movement in attack and also defensive coverage was crucial too.

As highlighted by Marco94 on X, the heat map confirms what all of us thought yesterday: Rabiot was everywhere. His position per the starting eleven was left midfielder, but he actually ended up spending a lot of time on the right side.

Adrien Rabiot- Dinamismo su rettangolo verde.
Sulla carta mezzala sinistra, in pratica tuttocampista.
Nella partita di Cagliari il centro di gravità, gli scambi posizionali con Fofana invertendosi le zone di campo, l’assist che arriva proprio dopo aver attaccato uno spazio in… pic.twitter.com/xXHAo7vHJV

— _marco94 (@RealMarco94) January 3, 2026

Of course, it was on the right side that he provided the assist too, making the most of his weaker foot to find the No.10 in the box. In a game like yesterday’s, in which Milan struggled to create chances, Rabiot’s movement opened up everything.

As such, while Leao scored the decisive goal, Rabiot’s smart runs along with Luka Modric’s distribution led the Rossoneri to their first win of 2026.