"Rafael Leao will play an important role for AC Milan in tomorrow's derby against Inter, as despite being young, he's the most experienced derby man on the team. Today's edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (see the features image) has focused on the battle of the No.10s, namely Lautaro Martinez for Inter and Rafael Leao for Milan. The latter has featured in an impressive 20 derbies so far, making tomorrow's clash his 21st."
"Matteo Gabbia came through the youth ranks, of course, but he has been on loan a couple of times. As such, no one has as much experience playing in the Milan derby as Leao, which means he will need to step up and be a leader for this team. As the newspaper continues, Rafa insists on calling himself 'young', but at 26 years of age and 268 Milan games, 75 goals and 20 derbies under his belt, he's an adult in the prime of his career."
Rafael Leao has played in 20 Milan derbies and will make his 21st appearance, making Inter the opponent he has faced most in his career. He joined AC Milan in summer 2019 and has accumulated 268 appearances and 75 goals for the club. No current Milan player has more derby experience, partly because Matteo Gabbia spent time on loan. At 26 years old, Leao is positioned as a team leader who can create chances and provide assists. He has not scored in the derby since September 2023 but contributed assists in last season’s Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana victories. Milan plans to start Leao alongside Christian Pulisic to combine chance creation with finishing.
Read at SempreMilan
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