Portugal international Rafael Leão is now teammate with Victor Osimhen following his move to Galatasaray from Serie A giants AC Milan.
On Saturday, Galatasaray posted a short video on X of the 27-year-old player sitting on a plane and sending a message to the club’s fans.
Leão, who played at the World Cup this year, was also reportedly courted by Aston Villa. He is set to sign a four-year contract with Galatasaray, according to media reports.
The son of an Angolan father and a São Toméan mother, Leão graduated from Sporting CP youth system, and made his first-team debut in 2018, winning the 2017–18 Taça da Liga, before unilaterally terminating his contract, following an incident involving a violent mob of ultras fans within the club’s facilities.
Shortly after, he joined Ligue 1 side Lille on a free transfer. After a season, AC Milan signed him in 2019, winning the 2021–22 Serie A, being named that season’s Most Valuable Player.
Also Read: Modric: I Joined AC Milan To Play With Leao
With the Portugal under-17s, Leão participated in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. In this competition, he played five out of six matches, not playing against the Netherlands in the semifinals.
In the finals against Spain, Leão replaced Domingos Quina in the 79th minute; Portugal went on to win the competition for the sixth time, following a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory after a 1–1 draw in extra-time.
On 5 October 2021, Leão was called up to the senior team for the first time, as a replacement for the injured Rafa Silva.
Four days later, he made his international debut, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at half-time and providing the assist for André Silva’s goal in a 3–0 friendly defeat of Qatar.
He was part of the Portugal squad that featured at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
Also in May 2025, Leão was selected for Portugal’s 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals squad, which he and his team went on to win after a 5–3 penalty shootout win over rivals Spain.
By James Agberebi
