Paolo Di Canio Critiques Rafael Leao's Work Rate
Paolo Di Canio has never been one to whisper an opinion, and this time his spotlight has fallen squarely on Rafael Leao.
On Sky Sport, the former West Ham and Juventus forward tore into the Milan star’s recent performances, accusing the Portuguese attacker of lacking the work rate required to lead the line for a team with title ambitions.
“He seems lazy without the ball”
Di Canio focused not on Leao’s talent, which he recognises, but on what happens when the ball is elsewhere.
“We are talking about a player who should make 50 movements to receive the ball,” Di Canio said, “but doesn’t even make half unless he’s certain he’ll receive it. He didn’t even make a movement to open the space for his teammates, because he wasn’t sure he’d receive the pass.”
For Di Canio, that is non-negotiable at the top level. The modern forward, especially one used as a focal point, cannot pick and choose when to run.
“Any striker, in any league, must work so hard,” he added. “It’s difficult even for natural centre-forwards; imagine for a player who seems lazy almost every time he doesn’t have the ball.”
In his eyes, Leao’s reluctance to make those unselfish runs has clogged Milan’s attack and contributed to their recent winless spell. The talent is there. The movement, he says, is not.
From MVP to stagnation
Leao was crowned the league’s best player in Milan’s 2021-22 title-winning campaign, the electric winger who shredded defences and dragged the club back to the summit of Serie A. That version of Leao feels distant now, and the debate around his development has become increasingly sharp.
Di Canio believes the 26-year-old has stalled, not because of a lack of ability, but because of comfort.
“He relaxed; he’s been cuddled, and he hasn’t had the determination or desire to keep improving,” Di Canio argued. “The priority has almost become something else.”
The criticism goes beyond the pitch. Di Canio pointed to Leao’s growing involvement in music and fashion as a drain on the mental edge needed to compete at the highest level.
“Over the years, I don’t remember seeing so many fashion show videos or eight-hour recording sessions with record labels,” he said. “You always say we should look at the players’ private lives, but if someone spends four or five hours doing other things, their physical and mental energy gets drained.”
Then came the blunt comparison.
“It’s not like playing PlayStation for half an hour. If you’re spending six or seven hours with a record label and going to fashion shows, how are you supposed to regenerate the mental energy to play at this level?”
Milan’s margin for error is shrinking
The timing of this scrutiny is no coincidence. Milan sit third in Serie A with 63 points from 32 matches, three behind second-placed Napoli and a full 12 adrift of city rivals Inter. The table tells its own story: respectable, but not enough for a club that only recently reclaimed the Scudetto.
Leao remains under contract until 2028 and is the club’s highest earner, a symbol of their project and spending power. Yet, according to reports from Gazzetta dello Sport, patience is not infinite. If his form does not climb back towards the heights of that title-winning season, Milan could be ready to listen to offers.
The calendar offers no hiding place. Verona, Juventus, Atalanta. Three fixtures that will shape the mood around San Siro and perhaps the direction of Milan’s summer.
For Leao, they represent something more personal: a test of whether he can rediscover his edge, embrace the dirty work Di Canio demands, and prove that the league’s former standout has not already peaked.
