Rafael Leão
LWST
Portugal27 years
Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
LW
Left wingMain
3,823 min · 66 apps · 39 starts
ST
Striker
1,913 min · 26 apps · 26 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Galatasaray · independent of the season filter
Rotation
Involvement50%
Performance46%
Through the match on 3 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Rafael Leão is a Portuguese forward whose speed creates two different problems for defenders. He can carry the ball past opponents from deep positions, or start wide on the left and run behind the defensive line as a teammate prepares to pass.
Born in Almada on 10 June 1999, he joined Sporting’s academy in 2008 and reached the first team during the 2017/18 season. He moved to Lille in 2018, scoring eight Ligue 1 goals in his single season in France before joining AC Milan in summer 2019.
The 2021/22 season brought his defining domestic breakthrough. Milan won Serie A, and Leão was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. His eleven league goals made him Milan’s joint-leading scorer alongside Olivier Giroud. Milan's season review also credited him with 98 completed dribbles, the highest total in that Serie A campaign.
His run against Napoli in April 2023 offered a vivid example of what those dribbles could produce. In the Champions League quarter-final second leg, he collected possession inside his own half, carried the ball past defenders and drew out the goalkeeper before passing to Giroud. The goal helped Milan reach their first semi-final in the competition since 2007.
With Portugal, he made his senior international debut in 2021 and scored against Ghana and Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup. In June 2025, he came off the bench in the Nations League final against Spain, which Portugal won on penalties after a 2–2 draw. He was part of Portugal’s squad at the 2026 World Cup, scoring in a 5–0 group-stage win over Uzbekistan before Portugal lost 1–0 to Spain in the round of 16.
On 30 August 2026, Galatasaray announced his transfer from Milan, adding Turkey to a club career developed in Portugal, France and Italy.
His movement without the ball matters as well. Analysing Milan’s November 2024 win at Real Madrid, UEFA highlighted how he stayed high and wide before setting off behind the defence once Álvaro Morata faced forward with possession. That timing gave the passer a moving target beyond the back line, complementing Leão’s ability to advance an attack with the ball himself.
Latest stats & form
Rafael Leão currently plays for Galatasaray as a left winger. He has represented Portugal internationally.