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Juan Soto came through in the clutch for the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the ALCS when he crushed a game-winning three-run home run in the 10th inning against the Cleveland Guardians.

While Soto and his teammates rode on the high of the fact that they're going to their first World Series in 15 years, there was one thing looming in the back of some of his teammates' minds: Soto is set to be a free agent this offseason.

Soto's future with the Yankees will likely be the first order of business in the offseason, as it seems that the general consensus is that the team wants to keep the outfielder. He's currently signed to a one-year, $31 million contract that was agreed upon to avoid arbitration.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. in particular really wants the Yankees to deliver a huge contract to Soto.

"Pay my guy! Pay Juan Soto!" Chisholm said during the locker room celebration. When asked by YES Network's Meredith Marakovits how much Soto should earn, Chisholm didn't hold back: "700 million!"

Giancarlo Stanton also talked about Soto's future on the team during the celebration, saying that the Yankees need to "bring him home."

The Yankees need to get through the World Series first, though. They will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets for a chance to win their 28th title.

Marcus Rashford has been told that he can steal Lamine Yamal’s crown as Barcelona’s best player, with the England international proving during a loan spell in Catalunya that he remains a “fantastic player”. Dwight Yorke expects the Manchester United outcast to create his own “legacy” with La Liga giants, much like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Xavi once did.

• Lost spark: Why Rashford finds himself at Barcelona

  Rashford is a long way from occupying that talent pool at present, but has enjoyed a productive start to his spell with Barcelona. He showed signs of rekindling a lost spark during a loan stint at Aston Villa last season.

  With no slate being wiped clean at Old Trafford in the summer of 2025, the 28-year-old was forced to find another new challenge. He stepped out of his comfort zone when doing that, with the decision taken to join Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri in Spanish football.

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  Just like Messi: Rashford tipped to eclipse Yamal & emulate icons

  Rashford has registered six goals and eight assists through 16 appearances for Barca, with the expectation being that a purchase option will be triggered in his loan agreement. Once a permanent transfer is completed, Yorke believes that Rashford will go from strength to strength.

  The 1999 Treble winner has told of the United academy graduate potentially rising above teenage wonderkid Yamal at Camp Nou: “I'm surprised they haven't already paid that £35 million ($46m), as he’s a really good player.

  “I think it’s great for Rashford. I’ve defended him. There’s a whole saga around him and after some people questioned his role at United, credit to him for doing well at Barcelona. I think he became very unhappy at United, it’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re in an unhappy place, how can you perform? He’s gone over to Barcelona, he’s enjoying his football again, he’s in a happy place, and we see the impact on his performances.

  “He’s not become a fantastic player at Barcelona. He is a fantastic player. He has always been a fantastic player. But if you’re unhappy, you’re not going to perform. I don’t think he has covered himself in glory either, but man for man there was no player more talented than Rashford in the United ranks. Now we’ve got a happy Rashford playing the way he can, he’s showing at Barcelona that the rest is history, and now he has some big boots to fill.

  “Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, these are the types of guys that came before him like Romario and those types of players. I don’t think Rashford is quite in that bracket yet but he can create his own legacy in the Barcelona shirt.

  “Apart from Lamine Yamal, he’s not going to have much competition in this team. He's now got a chance to believe: 'I can be the number one player here', even ahead of Yamal. Yamal is still in that development stage. Rashford is at his peak right now as a player and he is that good. He can be that good but he must want to have it."

• Transfer poser: Man Utd already made a mistake with McTominay

  United could be wondering whether selling Rashford is the best option, having seen him thrive outside of Manchester. The likes of Antony and Alejandro Garnacho have done likewise, while Scott McTominay is now a Serie A title winner at Napoli.

  There has been talk of the Red Devils trying to bring the Scotland international back, with Yorke saying on that topic: “You know they would have to pay some serious money to go and get him back. It would be difficult to admit they made a mistake, but having said that, he would relish the fact he’s now being backed by the club if they did go back in for him.

  “He wouldn’t answer the problem of not having a number six though. They’d probably get him playing even further up the park which would only make things more confusing. That’s why he wouldn’t come back. In hindsight, like with all these things, he could have been in a top position at United one day but it’s never that easy.”

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  Spend again: Amorim & Man Utd still searching for consistency

  Ruben Amorim will be looking for the United board to spend again in January, with the Red Devils still searching for consistency. They have positioned themselves back in the Premier League top-four race this season, but questions continue to be asked of whether defensive and attacking reinforcements are required in order for former glories to be fully recaptured.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga shared a special moment before the first pitch of Tuesday's game, a 6-3 Cubs win at Dodger Stadium.

As Ohtani stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat of the game in the bottom of the first inning, the Dodgers star tipped the cap of his helmet to his fellow countryman in Imanaga, who returned the favor before toeing the rubber and delivering the first pitch of the contest.

Here's the wholesome moment between the two Japanese-born players.

Just the day before, Ohtani, Imanaga and Tuesday's starter for the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, all shared a moment before Monday's game.

And the trio of players, alongside Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, combined to create a historic moment Tuesday.

The Cubs and Dodgers will meet again on Wednesday night at 10:10 p.m. ET.

A Champions League record long held by Manchester United legend David Beckham has been taken by Club Brugge star Carlos Forbs following his sparkling goalscoring display against Barcelona. The 21-year-old scored twice and bagged an assist as the Belgian side held the Spanish giants to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling encounter. And he notched a bit of history along the way, too.

• Forbs runs Barcelona ragged

  The Portugal winger put in the best performance of his young career as he tore Barcelona to shreds in the Champions League on Wednesday night. His display even stole the headlines away from Lamine Yamal, who scored a stunning goal of his own. But this game belonged to Forbs at Jan Breydelstadion.

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• Beckham record tumbles

  For more than 25 years, Inter Miami co-owner Beckham has held the record for being the youngest player to both score and assist against Barcelona in the Champions League. But Forbs has beaten the ex-United man's personal best by nearly two years with his virtuoso display.

• Blow for Barca as credentials take another hit

  After reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, alongside winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Barcelona had high hopes for this campaign. But at present, they are languishing behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in the league and have had one or two setbacks in this term's Champions League. After losing to holders Paris Saint-Germain last time out, a win at Brugge was top of their agenda. But this draw leaves them 11th in the table, just outside the automatic spots to reach the last 16 of the competition. At this rate, they will have to make do with the play-offs, unless they win a few more games.

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  What comes next for Barcelona?

  Hansi Flick's Barca will hope to return to winning ways in their next Champions League encounter when they take on Club World Cup champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 25. Before then, though, they travel to Celta Vigo on Sunday in La Liga, followed by a home match against Athletic Club on November 22.

After going unbeaten in their last two matches, Leeds United suffered a home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. The Whites were beaten 2-1 by the North London outfit, and despite creating some good opportunities, they couldn’t capitalise and ended up losing at Elland Road for the first time this season.

It was the visitors who took the lead in West Yorkshire, through Frenchman Mathys Tel. The former Bayern Munich prodigy got slightly fortunate with his effort from outside of the area, after a deflection took it over Karl Darlow into the back of the net.

Daniel Farke’s side hit back soon after, with new signing Noah Okafor once again getting on the scoresheet. Quick reactions meant the Swiss attacker could get on the end of a parry from Spurs’ goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who deflected Brenden Aaronson’s effort into his path.

Just before the hour mark, Spurs scored their second through one of their summer signings, Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian forward pounced on a loose ball, driving inside and firing a shot goalwards. Again, it took a deflection, leaving Darlow for dead and nestling into the bottom corner.

Kudus’ goal proved to be the difference-maker in a game where a few Leeds players struggled. One of those was Gabriel Gudmundsson.

Gudmundsson’s stats vs. Spurs

It has, generally speaking, been a good start to the season for Gudmundsson. The new Leeds left-back, who is a full international with Sweden, has started every game under Farke so far this season.

Whilst he has been impressive for the most part, as he was against the Lilywhites, Gudmundsson made an error which allowed Kudus the opportunity to score.

He got in a tangle looking to clear the ball, instead letting it bounce awkwardly off his torso and into the path of Kudus.

The stats from Gudmundsson’s efforts against the North London giants don’t cover him in glory. He made one error, which led to a goal, and he only won three out of five tackles. On the ball, he had 46 touches and lost possession 12 times.

Indeed, Graham Smyth, journalist for The Yorkshire Evening Post, gave him a 6/10 for his efforts at Elland Road. He said Gudmundsson had a ‘couple of nice moments’ on and off the ball, but did criticise him for a lack of contact on the ball, which led to Spurs’ winner.

It was certainly a tough day at the office for the left-back, but there was a fellow defender who struggled even more.

The Leeds player who was worse than Gudmundsson

It was certainly not the result Leeds would have wanted at Elland Road, given the fortress they have turned it into under Farke. They had more shots and possession than the visitors on Saturday lunchtime, but a couple of moments meant they didn’t even earn a point.

One of the players who struggled was 26-year-old centre-back Pascal Struijk. The former Ajax youth defender has been crucial for Leeds this season, playing 90 minutes in every Premier League game and skippering the side twice.

Yet, his efforts against Spurs were underwhelming.

There were two “unfortunate” deflections off the Leeds number five for each of the goals, as per The Athletic’s Beren Cross, which took the ball past Darlow to see his side go behind on both occasions.

He received a 5/10 rating for his performances by Smyth. The journalist said Struijk had ‘ropey moments at the back’ and pointed out the fact that he was ‘beaten in the air’ when Spurs struck the woodwork themselves.

The stats reflect how poor the 26-year-old was against the Lilywhites. He had 74 touches and, on the ball, was generally quite good. He completed 94% of his passes. Yet, he only won 40% of his duels and didn’t attempt a tackle.

With summer addition Jaka Bijol knocking on the door for a spot in the starting lineup, perhaps Farke will decide to drop Struijk.

It is certainly disappointing that he struggled, especially in the air, against Spurs, and he certainly could have done more to prevent the goals.

Bijol has been an unused substitute in the Premier League this season, but perhaps this poor performance from Struijk will be enough to convince Farke to rotate the side ahead of the clash with Burnley.

Leeds had the original Gudmundsson & they let him leave for just £1m

Leeds must regret cashing in on this star who was the original Gabriel Gudmundsson at Elland Road.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 2, 2025

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has thrown his support behind his new signing Milos Kerkez after the Hungarian left-back's difficult start to life at the Premier League champions. Kerkez joined the club with high expectations, having excelled at Bournemouth last campaign, and was seen as the natural heir to the ageing Andy Robertson, but things have not quite clicked yet.

• Kerkez struggling under the pressure

  Kerkez was supposed to slot perfectly into the attacking system adopted by Liverpool following Slot’s appointment as the Reds’ boss at the start of last season. The 21-year-old was a menace up and down the left-flank for the Cherries and was one of the most sought-after full-backs in the world in the summer.

  Liverpool won the chase to bring him to Anfield where, following the drop off in form of Robertson in recent years, he should have made the position his own. However, the pressure of playing for the Reds appears to be taking its toll on the youngster.

  Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison was scathing in his assessment of Kerkez’s performance in Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester United last weekend. Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “It was probably one of the only Liverpool games that I've watched and thought Van Dijk looked rattled, especially in the first half. It's because he is having to cover Milos Kerkez, who I think right now has to come out of the team. He is struggling and does not look like he can carry that Liverpool shirt at the moment.”

  Despite Morrison’s criticism of Kerkez and the defender’s lack of form, Slot insisted he is happy with his new signing and is likely to keep selecting him in his starting line-up.

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  Slot keeps calm over Kerkez

  Questioned on Kerkez’s position in the team and whether Robertson could seize the starting berth, Slot was diplomatic. “I don’t think that’s a place for me to say this here, because then I have to say something about Robbo as well,” he said in his press conference ahead of Liverpool's meeting with Brentford. “The reason why we brought him in, that I can tell you, is that he is bringing a lot of energy to the game, keeps going up and down.”

  Slot added that Kerkez is doing “very well in defending the one-v-one situations against his wingers”. He described the full-back as “defensively solid” and explained that he also brings “a lot of energy making the overlaps”.

• Liverpool's big signings fall flat

  Kerkez is not the only new signing providing headaches for Slot. Florian Wirtz is the standout disappointment of the major summer transfer moves, not just at Liverpool, but the whole Premier League. The German has been unable to show the magic he once dazzled the Bundesliga with and, given his mammoth transfer fee, will need to turn his performances around pretty quickly.

  Alexander Isak has also failed to hit the ground running in a Liverpool shirt. saga of the summer transfer window saw the Swede move to Anfield following a public falling out with Newcastle, and the striker was meant to fire Liverpool to yet another comfortable Premier League crown.

  Yet, the performances of Hugo Ekitike up front have made it difficult to fit in the two forwards, both preferring to play down the middle of the frontline. The Frenchman has been electric since joining the club, but has been sidelined in favour of Isak even when form suggested he should not have been.

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  Liverpool in a rut?

  Liverpool ended their four-game winless run with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Reds had lost to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United previously and will hope that their win over the German side can also put an end to three defeats on the bounce in the Premier League. They take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday night and will be coming up against a familiar face in goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who they sold to the Bees in the summer. 

With their woeful start in mind, Glasgow Rangers and the 49ers have reportedly turned their focus towards the transfer window and welcoming an impressive goalscorer for Russell Martin in 2026.

Martin praises "proper performance" from Rangers

It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t enough to get the fans back onside, but it was a start for Rangers, who secured their first win of the season in the Scottish Premiership in last-gasp fashion over Livingston. The Gers found themselves level as stoppage time arrived, only for summer signing Max Aarons to become the unexpected hero in the 94th minute and end what has been a disastrous run for Martin.

The travelling fans still took aim at Martin when the full-time whistle sounded and it’s clear that there’s still work to be done to get them back in his favour, but that didn’t stop the manager from praising his side.

The Rangers boss told reporters: “You saw some proper performances from people today. Tav was incredible. He played three different positions in the game. Drove the team forward, scored, and his reaction to the penalty miss was brilliant.”

“I’m really proud of the players. We deserved to win. The first half was the best we played all season, I think. The first half we deserved to win, played brilliantly. Some amazing football. We should have scored more goals for sure.”

Up next is another important game and an opportunity to make it back-to-back wins in a tough trip to SK Sturm Graz. After losing to Genk in their opening Europa League game last time out, Martin’s side must take something from the Austrian side.

In the meantime, as victories finally begin to arrive, the 49ers are reportedly aiming to back their manager with further arrivals in 2026.

Rangers join race to sign Lidberg

As reported by Sports Boom, the 49ers and Rangers have now joined the race to sign Isac Lidberg from Darmstadt 98. The Swede has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2 Bundesliga campaign, scoring seven goals in eight games to sit top of the goalscoring charts.

Now, when 2026 arrives, he could have a decision to make amid interest from Rangers, Burnley, Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers. In a hectic race, it’s fair to say that he won’t be short on options when the time comes.

Rangers star was "like the best of Zidane", now he's worse than Barron

This Rangers star who was once compared to Zinedine Zidane is now even worse than Connor Barron.

1

By
Dan Emery

Sep 30, 2025

Lidberg’s form is no purple patch, either. The 27-year-old scored 15 goals in all competitions last season and has since taken things up a level to attract impressive interest. As a result, there will be big questions about his future in January and there’s no denying that Rangers could do with his quality.

The Gers have looked blunt going forward ever since the departure of Hamza Igamane, who they have so far failed to replace. By adding Lidberg, they’d be adding a solution to Martin’s attacking problems. To do so, however, they may have to fend off Premier League interest from Burnley.

Como Women's star Alisha Lehmann has revealed how beating former club Juventus with her new side earlier this season has given her a big boost. Lehmann moved to Como in the summer transfer window and enjoyed a swift reunion against her former team-mates earlier this month, emerging victorious in a surprise 1-0 Serie A Femminile win at the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo Lamarmora.

• Como pull off shock win over Juventus

  Lehmann waved goodbye to Juventus in August after winning the Serie A title and joined Como Women on a three-year contract. The Swiss star said at the time that joining an independent club was an "important factor" in her decision to make the move and that she shared the club's long-term vision. Lehmann then came up against former club Juventus with Como in just their second league match of the season and helped secure a surprise 1-0 win. Lehmann admitted at the time it had been an "emotional" experience playing against her former team and has now revealed how she benefitted from the game.

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  Lehmann thrilled by victory against former club

  Lehmann told 20 minutes: "Como will continue to grow in the coming years. The victory against my former club, Juve, was incredible and did me a lot of good. I will never say anything bad. I had a good year. I am now a regular starter, and playing is the main reason why we play football. Como also has a really interesting project in women's football."

  The 26-year-old also feels she is now in the "perfect place" and is looking forward to an exciting future with the club. She added: "I feel good in Como. It’s the perfect place for me and, certainly, the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived. I live right on the lake, and it’s absolutely magnificent. I’ve even run into a few celebrities because we go to the same restaurants. But it’s nice here because everyone respects each other so much."

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  Why Lehmann left Juventus for Como

  Lehmann may have tasted success with Juventus last season but she was far from a regular in the XI and her move to Como offers her the chance to establish herself as first choice once again. The Swiss star also told she was keen to stay in Italy as she sees plenty of potential for the women's game to grow. 

  “I came here to play football and hope to earn my place by working hard,” she explained. “I came here to compete and to grow as an athlete. The rest will come if I stay true to that. For me, it’s simple: I want to play as much as possible, help the team, and enjoy football. What I love is that they [Como] take the game seriously, but also create space for players to be themselves.

  “There’s so much potential here. Italy’s performance showed the quality and spirit in the game here, and now people are paying attention. I think the league is ready to take a big step forward. With more visibility, investment, and commitment to the players, Serie A Women can become a real force in Europe. Being part of that journey is something I’m really excited about.”

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• Lehmann 'not happy' on bench for Switzerland

  Lehmann also spoke about her experiences at Euro 2025 as Switzerland hosted the tournament and made it to the quarter-finals before being knocked out against Spain. The Como star says she enjoyed the tournament but is eager for more game time with the national team. She told 20 minutes: “We had a great time during the European Championship. It was a truly incredible experience. When you're a footballer, you always want to play. So I'd be lying if I said I was happy on the bench. Of course, I wasn't. But football is also about supporting your team. And during the tournament, we created a great bond. It was perfect.”

Now that we have some distance from the disappointing loss to Liverpool, there is plenty to be optimistic about for Arsenal this season.

For example, Mikel Arteta was backed in a big way in the summer, with players like Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke.

Moreover, in addition to these new players, Hale End looks to have produced another superstar in the making for the club in the unreal Max Dowman.

The teenager already looks more than comfortable in the senior game and like he has a bright future ahead of him, although there was another academy superstar who was once predicted to do big things and is now worth less than £1m.

Max Dowman's rapid rise

It would be fair to say that, aside from the Champions League run, last season was one of the least enjoyable campaigns Arsenal fans have had for some time, as it felt like everything was going wrong.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

However, the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly was a real bright spot, and yet, even as they broke into the first team, there was talk of an even more exciting prospect in the academy – a 14-year-old who was playing well beyond his years.

This was, of course, Dowman, and when you take a look at his statistics from last season, it becomes easier to understand why those in the know, like Jacek Kulig, were going as far as proclaiming him to be the “most exciting prospect” he had seen “since Lamine Yamal.”

For example, in just 23 appearances, totalling 1945 minutes, he put the ball in the back of the net 19 goals and provided five assists for good measure, which comes out to an average of 1.04 goal involvements per match, or one every 81.04 minutes.

Numbers like these forced Arteta and Co to bring the youngster on the pre-season tour this year, and for the first time, fans were able to see why so many are so excited about him, as he came off the bench against Newcastle United and won a penalty in short time.

However, the most significant indication of just how highly the club rate the teenager is the fact he’s now a regular part of the first-team squad, and that not only did he make his Premier League debut against Leeds United, but that the manager felt comfortable subbing him on at Anfield when the team needed a goal.

In all, while it is still so early, the hype around Dowman is starting to feel justified, which unfortunately was never the case with a former Hale Ender who is now plying his trade in Europe.

Arsenal's original Dowman

Every year, there is a new set of exciting academy talents that fans get excited about, but sometimes, there is more than that; there is an expectation, and while Dowman looks like he might fulfil the expectations fans have of him, Charlie Patino was unable to live up to the expectations people had of him.

While it seems a long time ago now, the youngster was expected by many to be the next big thing to emerge from Hale End.

For example, back in October 2021, former Gunners’ wonderkid Jack Wilshere told the press that the youngster was “going to make a name for himself in the future” and that he was “one who everyone at the training ground is talking about.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Arsenal scout Brian Stappleton claimed that Sean O’Connor, the scout who discovered Wilshere, told him Patino was “the best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End.”

The hype was only further fueled when the “golden” youngster, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, came off the bench to make his competitive debut for the club in a League Cup match against Sunderland in 2021 and scored.

With regular first-team football the next step, Arsenal sent their exciting wonderkid on a number of loan spells, first to Blackpool and then Swansea City.

However, while he did okay during this time, a total tally of seven goals and eight assists in 72 games didn’t suggest he was quite ready to play under Arteta, and so when the player’s camp made it clear he wanted to leave, the Gunners were forced into accepting a low £1m off from Deportivo La Coruna due to the lack of interest from other sides.

Unfortunately, things have not worked out for the 21-year-old, as he’s made just 12 appearances over the last year, in which he’s failed to score or assist a single goal.

Unsurprisingly, this has seen his valuation tank, and according to Transfermarkt, the former next big thing is now worth €600k, which is just £518k.

Ultimately, while there is still plenty of time for Patino to forge a great career for himself, it’s probably safe to say the hype and pressure placed on his shoulders were not justified.

Madueke upgrade: Arsenal gem who left for £0 is now "one of the best in the world"

The superstar would be an excellent rival for Saka at Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 11, 2025

Rafael Leao has detailed the supportive welcome he received from new teammate Luka Modric after his match-winning brace sent AC Milan to the top of Serie A. The Portuguese star, who ended a long goal drought at the San Siro against Fiorentina, is eager to learn from the former Real Madrid icon and propel the Rossoneri forward to make the most out of his career.

• Leao reveals Modric's supportive welcome

  Leao has revealed the supportive welcome he received from Modric, explaining how the midfield icon has already pledged to help him develop after the Portuguese forward's decisive brace secured a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over Fiorentina at San Siro.

  The arrival of the former Real Madrid and Ballon d'Or winner has evidently had an immediate impact in the Milan dressing room, with Leao expressing his excitement at the prospect of linking up with the Croatian. The forward shared details of their first interaction, highlighting Modric’s proactive approach to mentoring him.

  "When he arrived at Milanello, Modric gave me a hug and told me he wanted to help me," Leao stated. "Playing with these players helps you grow, I'm very happy: he'll give me lots of assists to take Milan forward." The partnership is one that Milan fans will be eager to see flourish as they aim to build on their strong start to the campaign.

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  Match-winning brace ends long San Siro drought

  Leao was the undisputed protagonist in a challenging match against Fiorentina. The visitors, despite their lowly league position, took a shock lead in the 55th minute through Robin Gosens. However, Milan’s star forward dragged his side back into the contest just eight minutes later, equalising with a stunning curling shot from outside the penalty area. The goal marked a significant personal milestone, ending a 512-day wait for a Serie A goal at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with his last coming against Salernitana in May 2024.

  He completed the turnaround in the 86th minute, calmly converting a penalty to secure all three points. His influence on the game was clear in the statistics; Leao recorded the most touches in the opposition box (six) and completed the second-most dribbles of any player on the pitch.

• What Leao said about the Fiorentina victory

  Reflecting on the match, Leao acknowledged the difficulty of facing a Fiorentina side desperate for points. "We knew this was going to be a tough match," he explained. "Fiorentina are going through a tough time, but they have quality players: the coach told us we couldn't give them any space… That's what we did today, a great team effort, even if the first half was a bit of a strange game. In the end, we got going."

  Having recently returned from an injury that sidelined him for six weeks, Leao dedicated the performance to those who supported him. "I spent a month and a half injured: I dedicate it to my family, to my teammates who helped me and kept me in a great mood when I returned. I'm very happy. We have to continue like this."

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• Modric praises 'amazing' Leao's potential

  The admiration between the two stars is mutual. Modric also spoke highly of Leao's talent and was delighted to see him return to form and fitness. "Rafa is really amazing. I was looking forward to playing with him. Unfortunately, he got injured quickly, but now he's getting back to fitness," Modric said. The veteran midfielder believes the goals will be a major boost for the forward, adding that Leao can still improve and become even more important for the team.