Arsenal new signing Fabio Vieira claims to be as good as Messi

Discussing his abilities with

, Vieira believes that he can showcase a skill set in English football that is comparable to that of Messi as he is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo.

“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. 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,”

said

.

“It’s the best league in the world. England was always very attractive to me. Great Portuguese players have played here: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Moutinho, Joao Cancelo. I want to follow them.

“It was always my dream to play for Porto when I was young. But my real dream was to play in the Premier League.”

On his favored position, the new

midfielder said:

“The manager told me he knows I can play as a midfielder — No.8, No.10 — or on the wing, left side or right side. They know I am a versatile player. I prefer No.10. It’s my real position.”

Fabio Vieira will wear the number 21 shirt at Arsenal. He is yet to make a senior international appearance for Portugal but has featured 20 times for their Under-21s. He won the player of the tournament award at last year's European U21 Championship.

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