The Celtic loanee will face his parent club Manchester City in the Champions League this evening.
Manchester City talent Patrick Roberts, who is currently out on loan at Scottish side Celtic, has explained how he was rejected by several London clubs as a kid because of his size.
The talented winger revealed to The Times that Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and QPR all decided they would not sign the player to their respective academies because of his diminutive stature.
Patrick Roberts scores the third goal for Celtic
Roberts, who has been compared in playing style to Lionel Messi, stated:
“I love watching Messi, he’s always been an idol of mine. As a kid I was criticised and disregarded for being too small, but he’s showed that size doesn’t matter.
“I was overlooked by several academies in London because of my size — Chelsea, Tottenham, Watford, QPR — but the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta showed you don’t have to be big to play football.”
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts applauds fans at the end of the match
In the end Roberts joined Fulham from AFC Wimbledon in 2010 and went on to become one of the highest rated wingers in English youth football.
There is no doubt that Chelsea, Tottenham, Watford and QPR will have liked to have Roberts on board then and he is now proving with Celtic that he had the requisite skill level to be a hit in the game – despite his size.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi reacts
Tonight he will have the chance to play against his parent club Manchester City for Celtic in the Champions League and get a chance to prove his talent in front of Pep Guardiola.
The little wing wizard is certainly used to proving people wrong.
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