Changing of the Portuguese guard: Here comes Leao as sun sets on icon Ronaldo

MILAN: Rafael Leao heads to Qatar with the world at his feet and a World Cup in his sights, one of Europe’s rising stars ready to take up the mantle of fading Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

The undoubted star at AC Milan, where his flamboyant wing play brought last season’s Serie A title, the 23-year-old Portugal attacker has developed from a talented but inconsistent youngster to a proven match-winner.

His six goals and nine assists in all club competitions this season have helped put Milan back in the mix for the Scudetto in Italy and in the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in nine years.

Fleet of foot and blessed with superb balance, Leao also has accurate distribution and an eye for goal, and under coach Stefano Pioli he has become the one to watch every time he turns out for Milan.

In some ways his career has mirrored the early years of veteran Ronaldo, who has been out of favor at Manchester United and going through a rapid decline in both performances and status in the twilight of his career.

Ronaldo was also considered a show pony when he came through at United nearly two decades ago, a raw teenager who was yet to turn into the goal machine who came up with the goods when it mattered.

“I made the leap thanks to the arrival of Pioli (in 2019)... He gave me the right mentality and always encouraged me to believe in myself,” Leao said to DAZN in March, before claiming the Italian title.

“He always told me that I was talented but that I didn’t have the winning mentality, that if I wanted to get to the same level as (Kylian) Mbappe or Ronaldo I needed to make an impact in every single match.”

Like Ronaldo, Leao came through at Sporting Lisbon and he has been compared to Mbappe — and