AC Milan forward Rafael Leao makes ‘selfish’ claim about Cristiano Ronaldo in bid to reach Portugal teammate

Rafael Leao has admitted he is not as ‘selfish’ as his Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as he bids to emulate his hero.

Leao has ambitions of becoming one of the best players in the world and looks up to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as the ideal player.

The Portugal international has struggled this season, though, and a year after signing a long-term contract at Milan has seen his levels drop.

In 20 appearances, the 24-year-old forward has scored just four and assisted five goals in all competitions this campaign.

Compare that to last term and the former Chelsea target had banged in 16 and assisted 15 in 48 matches.

When asked by Sky Sports Italia if he could emulate his idol Ronaldo, Leao said: “Yes, but I’m not selfish.

“I can score goals but if I can also provide assists, I pass to my team-mate.

“At these levels the numbers make the difference because [Kylian] Mbappe, [Erling] Haaland, [Lionel] Messi make numbers that speak for themselves.

“When I think like them, I will get to that level.”

Ronaldo is often denoted as one of the best footballers of all time while he continues to break records in Saudi Arabia after leaving European football in 2022.

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Meanwhile, Leao was asked to name his potential World XI where he omitted Ronaldo – and included himself.

He said: “4-3-3. [Mike] Maignan, [Joao] Cancelo on the right, Theo [Hernandez] on the left, Thiago Silva in the centre with… [Virgil] van Dijk? No… Ruben Dias.

“In midfield [Jude] Bellingham, [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Luka] Modric. And upfront, Leao on the left, Vinicius [Junior] on the right and Mbappe centre-forward.”

When asked about his own inclusion, he said: “Because I’m doing well and I know I can stay there.

“Other players of my age are now at a higher level than me, but yes.”