Biography
Who is Rafael Leão?
Early life and background
Rafael Leão Alexandre da Conceição Leão was born on June 10, 1999, in Almada, Portugal, and raised in Amora within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. He grew up with three siblings as the son of an Angolan father and a São Toméan mother. His paternal surname translates to lion in the Portuguese language.
He began his football path early by joining the youth system of Sporting CP at the age of ten, following brief spells in Amora and Foot 21. As a junior player, he advanced rapidly through the youth ranks and made his senior debut with the reserves in May 2017 against Braga B, where he also scored his first goal.
Club career highlights
Rafael made his Primeira Liga debut for Sporting CP in February 2018 under manager Jorge Jesus. Later that year, following an incident involving a hostile mob of fans at the club training facility, he unilaterally terminated his contract and moved to French club Lille on a free transfer in August 2018. During his single season in France, he scored eight goals across 26 competitive matches and helped the team finish as runners-up in Ligue 1.
In August 2019, Rafael transferred to Italian club AC Milan on a five-year contract. During the 2021-22 season, he played a crucial role in helping Milan secure their first Serie A title in eleven years by providing a hat-trick of assists in the final match against Sassuolo. His strong performances earned him the Serie A Most Valuable Player award for that campaign, finishing with 11 goals and 10 assists. He later extended his contract and helped the team reach the Champions League semi-finals in the 2022-23 season before eventually moving to Turkish side Galatasaray in 2026.
International career
Rafael represented Portugal across various youth levels, starting with the under-16, under-17, and under-19 national teams. He was a key member of the under-17 squad that triumphed at the 2016 European Championship. After progressing through the junior setups, he earned his senior international debut for the Portugal national team in 2021.
As an established senior international, Rafael participated in multiple major tournaments for his country. He was selected for Portugal's squads at the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups, as well as the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. Also, he was part of the squad that secured victory in the UEFA Nations League in 2025.
Birthday and age
Rafael Leão was born on June 10, 1999, which makes Rafael 27 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Rafael shares the date with 34 other famous people.
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