They laughed at him when he said that playing like Lionel Messi “comes naturally to me.”
Shortly after signing on loan for Celtic from Manchester City, Patrick Roberts gave an interview to the Hoops’ website in which he compared his style to that of the Barcelona great.
“It’s a conscious thing for me to be like Messi,” Roberts said in February.
“I’ve watched him for years and he’s my idol. You try to copy what he does and it also comes naturally to me as well. Because I’m left-footed I tend to move the same way as he does. In games I try to replicate what he does. I’ve studied him on YouTube and when La Liga is on I watch that all the time.”
While many scoffed at the suggestions from the 19-year-old that he even bares a resemblance to arguably the greatest ever, Roberts’ finish in the first half of Celtic’s clash with Hearts on Saturday lunchtime was nothing if not Messi-esque.
The versatile winger was fed in brilliantly in the 35th minute by Tom Rogic and showed composure beyond his years as he calmly dinked the ball over the onrushing Neil Alexander.
Roberts’ second wasn’t exactly unlike Messi either in the way that he cut inside and drilled the ball low and hard across the goalkeeper, into the bottom corner.
And we’re not the only ones who saw the similarity.
https://twitter.com/Sollythebaws/status/716235925915836416
Messi finish from Roberts thete
— Emrod (@Emrod_lives) April 2, 2016
Lionel Messi eat yer heart out #Roberts #Celtic
— Cleary (@stephencl8) April 2, 2016
Paddy Roberts is so much like Messi. His running, his touch, the wee flick for his goal.
— @white_italy (@white_italy) April 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/michaelduffy_01/status/716242932207075328
Patrick Roberts doing a pretty good Messi impersonation for Celtic today.
— Stephen! (@Stephen_Tweeted) April 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/GallaghersBrows/status/716243892002283521
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