SAO PAULO, June 15: New teenage Real Madrid signing Takefusa Kubo said it was an �honour� to be nicknamed the �Japanese Messi� when speaking to reporters at the Copa America.
Earlier in the day, Spanish giants Real announced the 18-year-old was joining the record 13-time European champions from FC Tokyo, to play for their B team next season.
�Being called the Japanese Messi is an honour and makes me proud, but I�m still not at his level and I prefer to concentrate on my abilities and strengths,� said Kubo from Japan�s Copa America base in Sao Paulo. Like Messi, Kubo joined the Barcelona academy as a child � when just 10 � but left in 2015 after the Catalans were punished by world football�s governing body FIFA for breaking rules on signing under-age players.
His dribbling skills which drew comparisons to Messi made him a YouTube sensation as a child. But while flattered by comparisons, he still wants to be appreciated for his own skills.
�There are several players like me, but I�m me, not some other player,� he added, speaking Spanish. Kubo wasn�t allowed to speak about his transfer so as not to let the issue deflect from Japan�s Copa preparations. He has signed a six-year contract worth two million euros ($2.25 million) a year, according to Spanish and Japanese media. Earlier this year, Kubo became the youngest ever goalscorer in the J-League, boosting his profile back home almost to the level of icons Hidetoshi Nakata and Keisuke Honda. � AFP
