Why does Rafael Leão celebrate by surfing?

Ever since first publicly using a surfing emoji in September of 2021, Rafael Leão has on many occasions showcased a certain affinity for the waves, either through social media or by coining a very evocative celebration. Due to his form over the last few seasons, Milan fans have started showing affection towards this surfer version of Leão, as has the club itself, announcing the Portuguese star's recent contract renewal with a surfing board standing in the sand. But how did this link between the Milan striker and surfer culture come to be? As it turns out, we can trace everything back to Portugal and the wind that reigns over the Atlantic Ocean.

Football and surfing rarely cross paths, and Rafael Leão playing the surfer after scoring a goal is one of those unique football celebrations. Here is where you need to dig deep on his life, the surroundings that accompanied him through childhood, and the context that brought him up. Our first clue is that Leão was born and raised in Almada, a small town in the Greater Lisbon area. Portugal is widely considered to be Europe’s main surfing destination, filled with hotspots top to bottom. Almada and the neighboring towns boast an immense quantity of surfing beaches, and this could somehow have influenced young Rafa. Perhaps more interestingly, a town by the name Ericeira - one of Europe’s so-called “Surfing Capitals” - is located within 60 kilometers from Almada. 

Ericeira has been a hotbed for surfing culture for decades. The famous Praia da Ribeira d’Ilhas is considered a world class beach for taking on the waves, being one of the European locations of the WSL (World Surfing League) since 1985. In 2011, it even became the first and to this day only European stretch inducted in the World Surfing Reserves, a program with the aim of identifying, enshrining and protecting globally recognized and important surfing habitats. Almada itself - Leão’s hometown - has seen its share of surfing, with the nearby Costa de Caparica hosting the ISA World Surfing Games in 2008.

The event took place when Rafa was around 9 years old, and we can imagine him stumbling upon the competition and being amazed by the enchanting movements of pros on their boards. The care-free approach to lifestyle and athleticism of surfers reminds us a lot of Leão as well. As he glides past defenders, one can see glimpses of a surfer gliding around waves, accompanied by seemingly-effortless, silky movements and sudden changes in direction.

Rafa's surfing persona is one of Milan's only links to a sport that is usually exclusive to places with a view on the ocean. The Milan star seems to reflect every ideal of the surfing lifestyle on and off the pitch, and he closely knows the culture, declaring in a DAZN interview that "Sometimes surfers miss a wave, but they always get back on the board and try to do their best. I think this is the right way to approach things: you can try and fail but you have to keep learning, find the solutions to the mistakes you make". Nonchalance plus power, speed and precision, even his style and fun attitude seem to perfectly embody the free spirit of a surfer. Out-of-the-box thinking and personal reinvention have been Leão's defining characteristics ever since he burst onto the European football scene. Aside from surfing, his streetwear brand Son is Son and music exploits under the name tag WAY45 contribute to this free-thinking approach towards his public figure status as a footballer, the same way you can catch some waves in Almada with nothing on your mind.