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"He has always been my idol" - Manchester United star Amad Diallo explains why Lionel Messi was his role model when younger

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Manchester United attacker Amad Diallo has named Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as his football idol since childhood. During a recent interview with Sky Sports, the 22-year-old was asked questions about his favorite football players.

Diallo started by billing Marcus Rashford as the best player he has ever played alongside. He then named former Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi as his idol. Amad Diallo also stated that he tries doing a few things like Messi.

He said:

"Messi has always been my idol because I think maybe because he's left-footed like me. I want to do some things like Messi like how he plays."

The 22-year-old later backed Wayne Rooney as the best Manchester United player in Premier League's history. He mentioned Didier Drogba as the best player in the league's history from Ivory Coast. Amad Diallo also lauded Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo as the best dribbler in the league's history.

He said:

"Cristiano, as a young player, oh my god."

After naming the football players, the Manchester United star had to eliminate his choices one by one. He backed Lionel Messi over Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo over Didier Drogba. Later, Diallo stood with Messi, choosing him over Rooney and similarly, he went with Ronaldo over Neymar.

Eventually, Amad Diallo had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo, and he outright went with the Argentine superstar. He said:

"Sorry guys, Messi."

The 22-year-old has made 21 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, bagging three goals and six assists this season. Next up, United will face Victoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, December 12.

Manchester United keeping tabs on 29-year-old AC Milan star: Reports

Atalanta v AC Milan - Serie A - Source: Getty" srcset="https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/5bdba-17339192245184-1920.jpg 1920w">

Atalanta v AC Milan - Serie A - Source: Getty

Ruben Amorim's Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan in 2025, as per Fichajes.net. The French goalkeeper's current contract with Rossoneri will expire in the summer of 2026.

According to the aforementioned report, despite United's interest, the Serie A giants are not willing to let Mike Maignan leave. As a result, they have already started talks about the contract renewal of the French goalkeeper. However, the Red Devils are expected to get a chance to lure the Frenchman in next summer.

A former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star, Mike Maignan joined AC Milan in July 2021 from LOSC Lille. Since then, the 29-year-old custodian has made 129 appearances for Rossoneri across competitions, conceding 134 goals and keeping 50 clean sheets.

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