Milan lifted by Christian Pulisic as summer spending gamble pays off | Nicky Bandini

The American has grabbed headlines with goals in his first two Serie A games but other new recruits are making an impact too

Christian Pulisic is listed on the Milan website as weighing 73kg or 161lbs, but Rafael Leao lifted him off the floor like a dad with his kid at school sports day, hugging him right up into the air. When you have been carrying a team's attack for as long as the Portuguese has, anything else feels light by comparison.

Leao has been Milan's top scorer and assist-provider in Serie A for two seasons running - though he did share the first of those titles with Olivier Giroud in 2021-22 - a blessing and a curse for his team. He seemed to win games on his own at times, but the Rossoneri also became predictable, forcing play through him. When injury forced Leao to miss the Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter, there was no one else able to provide a spark.