“Morata Praises Leão as AC Milan’s Best Despite Pulisic’s Strong Start to Season”
Álvaro Morata recently expressed his support for his teammate Rafael Leão, calling him AC Milan’s best player, which may have been a slight towards this season’s top performer, Christian Pulisic.
From a statistical standpoint, Pulisic has been AC Milan’s standout player in the 2024-25 season. He leads the team with seven goals and three assists, totaling 10 goal contributions, a substantial lead over Leão and Theo Hernández, who each have four.
While Pulisic has excelled in his second Serie A season, Leão has struggled, having been benched for three consecutive league games and scoring just one goal so far. Before Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid, Morata aimed to lift Leão’s spirits by emphasizing his talent.
“Rafa has talent,” Morata told The Athletic. “He’s the best player on the team and just needs to keep going. It’s just a phase, which happens to attacking players.”
Morata added that a single goal could restore Leão’s confidence, emphasizing the Portuguese player’s significance to the team and expressing faith that his time to shine will come this season.
Due to his recent slump, Leão has been linked with a potential January transfer, as several Premier League teams have shown interest in him before.
Last season, Pulisic and Leão posted similar stats, with the American recording 15 goals and 10 assists across competitions, while Leão had 15 goals and 13 assists.
Milan has had a challenging start this season, currently sitting seventh in Serie A and winning only one of their first three Champions League matches. To turn things around, Milan will need all its key attackers — particularly Pulisic and Leão — at their best.