Paolo Di Canio Critiques Rafael Leao's Work Rate
Paolo Di Canio has never been one to whisper an opinion, and this time his glare is fixed firmly on Rafael Leao.
On Sky Sport, the former West Ham and Juventus forward dismantled the Milan star’s recent performances, accusing him of lacking the work rate and sacrifice required to lead the line for a team with title ambitions. For Di Canio, the issue is not talent. It’s effort. And it’s costing Milan.
“He doesn’t even make half the movements”
Leao has been used as a focal point in recent weeks, but Di Canio argued that the Portuguese forward is shirking the invisible labour that defines elite strikers.
“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.”
That, in Di Canio’s eyes, is unforgivable at this level. The job of a modern forward is not just to finish moves, but to create them with constant runs, decoys and space-clearing sprints that often go unrewarded.
“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.”
The criticism cuts at the heart of Milan’s current malaise. Their attack has lost its edge during a recent winless spell, and Di Canio believes Leao’s reluctance to make unselfish runs has clogged the system, slowing the team and making them easier to defend.
From MVP to stagnation
Leao was once the symbol of Milan’s rebirth. In the 2021-22 season, he lit up Serie A, dragging defenders out of position, deciding big games and being named the league’s best player as Milan surged to the title.
That version of Leao feels distant now.
The debate around his lifestyle has intensified as his development has stalled. Di Canio did not hold back, suggesting that off-pitch distractions have dulled the edge of a player who should be entering his peak years.
“He relaxed; he’s been cuddled, and he hasn’t had the determination or desire to keep improving,” Di Canio said. “The priority has almost become something else.”
The 26-year-old’s growing profile in music and fashion has become a lightning rod. Di Canio pointed to long recording sessions and fashion events as a drain on the mental and physical energy required to perform every three days for a club of Milan’s stature.
“Over the years, I don’t remember seeing so many fashion show videos or eight-hour recording sessions with record labels,” he continued. “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.
“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?”
The message is brutal but clear: you cannot glide through a season on talent alone.
Milan’s margin for error is shrinking
The timing of this storm around Leao is far from ideal for Milan. They sit third in Serie A with 63 points from 32 matches, three behind second-placed Napoli and 12 adrift of city rivals Inter. The title is slipping from view; even second place is under pressure.
Inside that context, every underwhelming performance from their highest earner feels heavier. Every game where Leao drifts to the periphery raises the volume of the debate.
Despite a contract running until 2028, reports from Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that Milan could be open to listening to offers if his form does not pick up. That is not a minor threat. It’s a warning shot to a player once seen as untouchable.
And the schedule offers no hiding place. Verona, Juventus, Atalanta: three fixtures that can define the tone of Milan’s run-in and, perhaps, the club’s stance on their star forward.
Leao now stands at a crossroads. Either he embraces the ugly work Di Canio demands – the 50 runs, not the 20 comfortable ones – or he risks watching his status erode in a club that cannot afford passengers.
For a player of his gifts, the question is no longer what he can do with the ball at his feet. It’s whether he is willing to do everything required when he doesn’t have it.
