Reported Liverpool target Nuno Mendes has opened up on his admiration for the Premier League while unveiling his plans to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo, speaking to Record.
At the age of just 18, this latest Sporting Lisbon wonder-kid is already having to deal with comparisons to arguably the greatest footballer of the 21st century.
Almost two decades after Ronaldo burst onto the scene at the Estadio Jose Alvalade with a cyclone of step-overs and those bleach-blonde tips, Mendes is making a similarly explosive impact at one of the giants of Portuguese football.
The teenage left-back has featured in nine consecutive Primeira Liga games and, despite only making his debut in June, he allegedly finds himself in the sights of two English powerhouses.
A Bola reported a matter of weeks ago that Liverpool and Manchester United are interested, with the Merseysiders tempted to invest £18 million into a teenager who could provide some much-needed competition for Andy Robertson at Anfield.
“I like the Premier League,” Mendes said when asked about the growing speculation surrounding his future.
“My agents are in charge of this, whom I trust a lot. I have the ambition to get to where Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi are.”
Ronaldo was just 17 when he joined Manchester United back in 2003, handed the iconic number seven shirt vacated by David Beckham’s move to Real Madrid.
At Liverpool, however, Mendes would not find the expectation to be quite so crushing.
After all, Robertson is going nowhere soon.
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