Rafael Leao called Antonio Cassano a “clown” after hearing the journalist claim Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden were better than him.
The Portugal international has become a star at AC Milan, and the 24-year-old is considered so important that he recently signed a new contract until 2028, after being the subject of numerous transfer rumors .
Leao has been overshadowed by his colleague Christian Pulisic this season, with the American star continuing to flourish in Italy, but he has still scored six goals and provided nine assists in 27 Serie A matches. His last goal came in the 3-0 win over Lecce, but it wasn't enough to impress the tight-lipped former Milan, Roma and Real Madrid striker Antonio Cassano.
The former Italy international told Domenica Sportiva: “Leao thinks he is a genius and some even agree with him. I just consider him a good player and I haven't changed my mind about that. For five and a half months he didn't score in a poor league like Serie A. A few years ago he would have struggled to play in the sixth or seventh team in Serie A.”
“A normal player”
And to add: “If I look at Rashford as a winger last year, he scored over 25 goals and played in a wonderful league. (Khvicha) Kvaratskhelia arrives. Foden is a year younger and this year he has already scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists. In Italy the championship is not good and the problem is that he thinks he is a phenomenon and there are many people who believe in it. He is a good player and has great physical strength. So Kaka, Rui Costa, Vinicius? What are we talking about? We are talking about a normal player who has physical strength.”
Leao read Cassano's comments, but paid little attention to them. Rather than letting others' opinions get him down or getting into a war of words, the Portuguese striker simply posted a series of clown emojis alongside the video of Cassano ranting.
