Some at Sporting Lisbon believe Tiago Tomas is their most promising academy graduate since the sepia-tinged days when a tousle-haired Cristiano Ronaldo was skipping his way through a forest of legs, braces on his teeth and the number 28 on his back.
After scoring twice in this weekend’s 4-0 Taca de Portugal victory over Belenenses, 19-year-old Tomas reflected on his performance in a manner reminiscent of Sporting’s most famous son.
Yes, the striker scored twice, following up a first-half tap-in with an instinctive diving header in the second. But it was the missed opportunities, rather than the ones he took, that were on Tiago Tomas’s mind once the final whistle blew (Mais Futebol).
“It was a good game. We could have scored more goals. In fact, I should have scored twice as many goals,” said Tomas, who clearly shares Ronaldo’s insatiable appetite for self-improvement.
“(Scoring twice) Yes, it’s a sense of pride. but I could have done more. And I will continue to work towards that.”
Is Tiago Tomas really the new Cristiano Ronaldo?
Tomas has actually achieved more at Sporting than Ronaldo did – more games, more goals and more trophies.
The powerhouse centre-forward played a major role as Ruben Amorim’s Invincibles swept all before them in 2020/21, completing a domestic treble and lifting the Primeira Liga trophy for the first time in two decades.
After Arsenal were pipped to the post by Manchester United for a teenage Ronaldo all the way back in 2003, it seems the Gunners are determined to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
The Sun reported way back in February that sporting director Edu was in talks with Sporting regarding a £20 million deal for Tiago Tomas. And, while a summer switch did not come to fruition, Arsenal will not take ‘no’ for an answer.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal are ‘crazy’ about Tomas.
And while those well-taken goals against Belenenses will have impressed his North London suitors, it is his attitude – a refusal to rest on his laurels – that could be the difference between Tomas becoming another Nani or the next Ronaldo.
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