Are you Balo or Mbappe?’ – 24 year old world class Milan star still haunted by back heel attempt and continues to attract scrutiny from the Italian media.

Rafael Leao’s missed chance during the game against Newcastle United on Tuesday night continues to attract scrutiny from the Italian media.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recalls that in the 34th minute of the game against Newcastle, Leao darted into the box as he does so often and when he beat two men with his silky dribbling, the end result seemed a formality.

However, instead of taking on the shot with his favoured right foot, he for some reason decided to try a reverse back heel and he stumbled over, much to the disbelief and annoyance of the 65,000 fans there.

As per the paper, the mistake brought to mind the absurd back-heel with which Mario Balotelli with Manchester City 2011, when he tried to score with a back heel all alone in front of the LA Galaxy goalkeeper. A furious Roberto Mancini took him off.

In May 2022, in Turkey, Balotelli tried a right-footed rabona instead of the comfortable left-footed diagonal finish when his team Adana were already comfortably winning (they ended up 7-0 victors) and Mario had already scored four times.

On Tuesday at San Siro, however, the context was more dramatic from a sporting point of view. It was the Champions League. Milan were unable to score and the draw risked immediately complicating qualification.

There was absolutely no point in trying such a trick, especially a player who has been a leader of the attack from a numbers standpoint and is guaranteed €35m in the next five years thanks to his renewal.

The most disheartening moment was not Tomori’s scolding on the pitch or the dark faces of his team-mates and coaches in the dressing room, but the MVP award awarded to him by UEFA.

Rafa’s entire family was present at San Siro for the game. Perhaps it was for them that he wanted to score that unforgettable goal, with a back heel.

Leao is now 24 years of age, and while he is not exactly old, time passes quickly. At 20, Jude Bellingham has already signed for Real Madrid. At 24, Kylian Mbappè has already won a World Cup final in which he scored and lost another when he scored three.

There is no way that, at 24, a talent like Leao can be out of the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or. Perhaps Tuesday’s poor impression will give him the right push to make a turning point, with a battle against Mbappe on the agenda in the coming weeks.