“Some of the same qualities” – Arsenal star compares his playing style to Lionel Messi and admits he looks up to ‘incredible’ Cristiano Ronaldo as well
Arsenal's new summer signing Fabio Vieira has compared his playing style to Lionel Messi and also revealed that he looks up to his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese under-21 international joined the north London club from FC Porto for a fee of around €40 million, as per The Athletic.
Vieira has admitted that his playing style has a lot of similarities to that of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as they are both left-footed. He told The Athletic:
“I love Ronaldo and Messi. I like Messi because of the style of play. It’s like mine — left-footed, some of the same qualities."
Fabio Vieira: "The manager told me he knows I can play as a midfielder — No 8, No 10. I prefer No 10. It’s my real position.
I’m an offensive player but I need to work on the defensive side." [Athletic Uk]
The former FC Porto midfielder insisted that he takes inspiration from Ronaldo not because he is Portuguese but because of his elite mentality and goalscoring ability. He said:
"And Ronaldo not because he’s Portuguese, but because of the hard work, and the mentality. It’s incredible. And he scores many goals. They are incredible players.”
What can Arsenal expect from Fabio Vieira?
Arsenal signed Fabio Viera almost out of nowhere as there was not too much speculation before the deal. The Portuguese youth international could prove to be a solid signing from the Gunners' point of view.
It will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta utilizes the 22-year-old, who had a stellar campaign in FC Porto colors last season. He scored a total of seven goals and provided 16 assists in 39 games for the Portuguese side despite not being a regular starter.
Marquinhos ✅
Turner✅
Gabriel Jesus✅
Fabio Vieira ✅
Zinchenko nearly✅
Top Winger 🔜
I think that will be it.
Add in the return of Saliba and the new deal of Nketiah.
Saka extension nearly done
Arsenal have repeated the impressive recruitment from last summer.
Porto boss Sergio Conceicao used Vieira in a range of positions across the pitch and often used him from the bench as the midfielder only saw 1990 minutes of first-team football.
Vieira is most natural while playing as a number ten but can also play as a number eight or on either flank and even as a second striker.
With Martin Odegaard already at the club, fans will have to wait and see how Arteta accommodates the new arrival.