The Portuguese star Rafael Leão, a player for Milan, revealed new details about his career before moving to the club in the summer of 2019, confirming that he rejected an offer from Inter Milan just a few days before receiving a call from Paolo Maldini.

Leão said: "I can tell the story before coming here, I was about to move to Inter, the sporting director told me: 'Rafa, we are about to sell you to Inter, but I refused. I said: I had a good season and I want to stay another season to build my name and feel more comfortable before the next challenge. It was my first professional season. He said it was a good opportunity for me and the club and a large sum of money, but I said: no, not Inter."

He added: "After a few weeks, the director came back and said that Milan was interested. I said: Milan? Yes, of course, if they come with an offer, I will agree. A few days later, he told me that someone wanted to talk to me, he passed me the phone, and it was Maldini. You have to come, at that point, it was decided."

He continued: "You can't say no. Since I was a child, I watched Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaká, and Seedorf. These players made a great history at Milan, seven Champions League titles, only surpassed by Real Madrid. Between Inter and Milan? Milan a hundred times."

Leão concluded his statements by saying: "I came to Milan with my family and realized the size of this club when I played my first match at home. The atmosphere and the fans were crazy, and when I won the league, I understood what an indescribable feeling it is to play for Milan. Milan is a beautiful city; I feel like I am at home. The weather is great, the food is excellent, and the people respect their history and culture a lot, and this helped me mature a lot."

It is worth noting that Leão's contract with Milan extends until June 2028, and includes a release clause of 175 million euros, while he has scored 71 goals and provided 62 assists in 261 matches with the team, in addition to 5 goals in 40 international matches with the Portuguese national team.