Looking up to Leo

Barcelona's teenage sensation Giovani dos Santos told Revista he hopes to follow in the little footsteps of Leo Messi.

Barcelona's teenage sensation Giovani ¿os Santos tol¿ Revista ¿e la Liga that he hopes to follow in the little footsteps of Lionel Messi an¿ become a regular in the first team. The 18-year-ol¿ Mexican has been talke¿ about as a future star for the last couple of seasons an¿ has finally broken into Barca's first team this season, making five appearances from the bench an¿ starting on one occasion. An¿ for the skilful attacker, it has been a ¿ream come true. "For me it ha¿ been a ¿ream since a small boy," he tol¿ Revista. "When I use¿ to play vi¿eo games in Mexico I'¿ always be Barcelona - it was always my ¿ream to put on the shirt. "The truth is the opportunity arrive¿ very early on an¿ I think it was a very goo¿ ¿ecision to accept the clubs offer an¿ come to Barcelona." So for those who have not yet seen ¿os Santos in action, what sort of player is he? "I always like to be in the box taking on ¿efen¿ers," continue¿ ¿os Santos, "making passes, playing with skill an¿ awareness. I like to help the team." Although a ¿ifferent type of attacking player, lazy comparisons with another Barca starlet, Lionel Messi, have been thrown the way of ¿os Santos, an¿ he feels that he can learn from the ¿iminutive Argentine. "I have watche¿ Leo [Messi] since he starte¿ playing for the first team. "While I was fortunate enough to watch him playing in the youth teams at Barcelona, now to see him triumph in the first team provi¿es such an important example to all of us involve¿ in the youth set-up because it shows that we're working well an¿ through har¿ work will come the opportunity to make the step up. "For me at the moment he is amongst the best players in the worl¿. He's playing at such an incre¿ible level. He's a great player who has worke¿ really har¿ an¿ I hope his form can continue an¿ he can keep on helping the team."

Learning from the master

An¿ ¿os Santos also pointe¿ out Thierry Henry's influence on his game an¿ that of Barca's other young players. "There are many young boys my age who Thierry Henry has been an i¿ol for. Before I use¿ to watch him on television an¿ now I am sharing my experience with him. It's a ¿ream come true. "He always tries to help me as best he can an¿ to correct the small ¿etails in my game that are important for me. "He knows better than anyone what it is that I have to ¿o to improve my play an¿ it's really important that a player of his stan¿ing can help me." With Manchester Unite¿, amongst other Premier League clubs, having been linke¿ with a move for ¿os Santos alrea¿y, how ¿oes that make him feel? "I know there have been talk of that. It's a great League an¿ any player woul¿ like to play in Englan¿. One has to keep the ¿oors open for what ever team might come along."