Why Rafael Leão Leads a New Generation For adidas Football

To say that someone is the future of anything can be to put too much of a burden on their shoulders; the weight of expectancy often dragging them down. But Rafael Leão could well be just that for adidas, albeit without the aforementioned weight of expectation that comes in a performance sense, removing any pressure and allowing a natural progression. His easy style and laid back approach was like a breath of fresh air when we shot him at Herzogenaurach, for what was his first visit to adidas HQ, and the brand were only too keen to roll out all the special treatment for the Portuguese, with boot fittings and all the personalisation treatment you’d expect being on offer. 

Graduating from Sporting CP youth system, Leão made his first-team debut in 2018, winning the 2017/18 Taça da Liga, before a move away beckoned. A short stint with Lille in Ligue 1 then followed, before AC Milan swooped in to sign the starlet. And that brings us right up to today, and a World Cup debut right around the corner.

His tall, lean, yet powerful physique coupled with his speed, dribbling and finishing have inevitably led to comparisons with some of the world’s best, both past and present. But perhaps – and far more to the point – Leão should just be respected as his own person, free from such forced categorising.

This is a man who knows who he is and isn’t afraid to show it. Leão’s the very definition of a contemporary footballer; fiercely competitive on the pitch, with the skills and ability to see him succeed at the highest level, and yet unafraid to be individual off it, championing creativity and expression. He’s a man that gets style, that has been used as the face of campaigns before. He’s young, but knows how to work the camera – a point that was well evidenced by his manner during our photoshoot, where he was fearless on set, not flinching when we shot him and straight up rolling into poses, natural as you like.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine a few years back, when he was still a burgeoning talent on the pitch, Leão said that when his sporting career eventually came to an end he would focus on his career as a rapper. This was a clear sign that, despite his talent with a ball at his feet, he had other passions and other interests that fuelled him. And this wasn’t just an Erling Haaland-Flow Kingz situation; he dropped his first album, 'Beginning', back in January 2021 under the guise of Way 45, that coming on the back of an appearance on the BGang’s single Longe in September 2020. (Now, we know what you’re thinking: Elite-level footballer, immensely talented rapper, a strong sense for style and unfairly handsome with it – seems like some people just get all the luck. But is he really happy? Yeah, probably.) Without a doubt, Leão represents a new breed of footballer, and it’s a potential new direction for adidas – one they should wholeheartedly embrace.

When it comes to brand marketing it feels like we’re potentially entering a state of flux; there’s a changing of the guard on the horizon and that could well signal time for a new approach. Perhaps the era of focusing purely on performance is over, what with the clear changes in personnel that are set to naturally occur in the near future, and Leão represents a potential new direction.

It’s set to be a period where the players are the focus, where their character speaks loudest, and their choices are what will be amplified through story telling. With this in mind, House Three Stripes already has a strong lineup for the future; as well as Leão there’s the likes of Jude Bellingham, Pedri and Joao Felix among others. It’s a collective that naturally lends itself to the abandoning of one key face in favour of a cast of colourful characters.

Any brand would be pleased to have a player like Leão in their roster; a player that can define the very direction that the business is heading in. He's front and centre of a generation that’s forming its own narrative and adidas should work hard to enable him, giving him a platform on which he can naturally excel and lead. We’ve recently seen the Three Stripes form a strong creative partnership with Stormzy, and it’s this type of relationship that needs to bleed into the footballing world. Leão is so much more than just a player; he’s a man that can guide their creative direction purely through his character, offering all new avenues for enhancement and development. We’re entering an era where players ooze creative energy and personality – so lean into it.

And it all starts with the 2022 World Cup. Leão is set to have a starring role in a Portuguese side that has bags of potential. While he represents the possible future of adidas’s creative direction, he also represents the attacking future of a nation. He comes into the tournament in great form for his club, and for a man that sees his long-term future on one type of stage, you couldn’t ask for a much better one than this to truly announce yourself to the whole world, and adidas should be ready to capitalise in the best sense. Over to you, Rafael Leão.

Rafael Leão wears the adidas X Speedportal+, which you can pick up at prodirectsoccer.com