Watch: Leao runs to celebrate equaliser with Fofana – the reasons

Many noticed that instead of doing his celebration last night, Rafael Leao ran over to someone on the bench after AC Milan’s equaliser, and the reason why has been revealed.

There may have been some confusion when Leao did not do his signature celebration after his equaliser. If he had picked up the ball, it may have been different, but instead, he ran off the pitch and towards the bench.

Fofana in mind

As MilanNews writes, Leao dedicated the goal to Fofana, who was subbed off at half-time after a very underwhelming first half, highlighted by that miss in front of an open goal. As a result, his mental state slipped, and this is why both the Portuguese and Christian Pulisic aided him through the rest of the first period.

InsideMilan on X, as seen below, have uploaded the video showing his touching celebration, if you wish to see it again.

3 goals in his last 4 matches for Rafael Leao 🏄‍♂️

then runs straight to Fofana 🥹 pic.twitter.com/cFQ5NgWEou

— Inside Milan (@_InsideMilan) January 9, 2026