Milan, Leao’s recent days: from his clash with Allegri to his confrontation with Pulisic, here’s what’s going on
The Olimpico was, once again, the scene of Leao’s discontent: the controversy surrounding his substitution for Fullkrug is bound to have repercussions. Taking a substitution badly isn’t a crime, but there are right and wrong ways to leave the pitch. Leao’s reaction in the 67th minute when he was substituted for Fullkrug was detrimental to the team, both because it cost them crucial minutes in their attempt to turn the result around, and because it contributed to making his own team more nervous and anxious. His outburst was so dramatic that even Maignan rushed out of goal to try and calm his teammate down and maintain composure at a delicate moment. A twist of fate: the Olimpico and Lazio once again became the scene of Leao’s frustration. On 31 August 2024, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao started on the bench following criticism over the defeat to Parma; they did not take part in Fonseca’s cooling-off break. A gesture that smacked of a rift with the manager. So close, yet so far apart. In Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation, the Leao-Pulisic partnership is struggling to take off, and the statistics speak for themselves: in 2025, Milan lamented the fact that they had never fielded the Leao-Pulisic pairing, only to change their minds later due to their poor performance. Certainly freer from injury worries in 2026, the pair have never scored together: zero goals for Pulisic, whilst Leao has scored against Cagliari (Pulisic was absent), Genoa, Como (Pulisic had not yet come on) and Cremonese (Pulisic had been substituted). The emotional aspect is twice as important at this stage; problems must be resolved so as not to squander what has been achieved so far. Among the upcoming fixtures is also the clash between the Portuguese and Captain America as they look to bounce back from a difficult spell. Leao will try to clear the air with Pulisic after he had told him to get lost because he hadn’t provided the assist on at least two occasions when he had the space to trouble Motta and equalise Isaksen’s goal, which ultimately proved decisive for the victory. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting.
The Olimpico was, once again, the scene of Leao’s discontent: the controversy surrounding his substitution for Fullkrug is bound to have repercussionsTaking a substitution badly isn’t a crime, but there are right and wrong ways to leave the pitch. Leao’s reaction in the 67th minute when he was substituted for Fullkrug was detrimental to the team, both because it cost them crucial minutes in their attempt to turn the result around, and because it contributed to making his own team more nervous and anxious. His outburst was so dramatic that even Maignan rushed out of goal to try and calm his teammate down and maintain composure at a delicate moment.A twist of fate: the Olimpico and Lazio once again became the scene of Leao’s frustration. On 31 August 2024, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao started on the bench following criticism over the defeat to Parma; they did not take part in Fonseca’s cooling-off break. A gesture that smacked of a rift with the manager. So close, yet so far apart. In Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation, the Leao-Pulisic partnership is struggling to take off, and the statistics speak for themselves: in 2025, Milan lamented the fact that they had never fielded the Leao-Pulisic pairing, only to change their minds later due to their poor performance. Certainly freer from injury worries in 20226, the pair have never scored together: zero goals for Pulisic, whilst Leao has scored against Cagliari (Pulisic was absent), Genoa, Como (Pulisic had not yet come on) and Cremonese (Pulisic had been substituted). The emotional aspect is twice as important at this stage; problems must be resolved so as not to squander what has been achieved so far. Among the upcoming fixtures is also the clash between the Portuguese and Captain America as they look to bounce back from a difficult spell. Leao will try to clear the air with Pulisic after he had told him to get lost because he hadn’t provided the assist on at least two occasions when he had the space to trouble Motta and equalise Isaksen’s goal, which ultimately proved decisive for the victory.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
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