Ansu Fati names 5 players including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as reference point for himself

Barcelona star Ansu Fati has named five players who he looks up to as reference points in his career.

The teenager is widely touted as the next big thing at the Camp Nou, although injuries have stalled his development in the last two years.

Now, as he works his way back with the Spanish national team, Fati has revealed some big names whom he admires, including the two GOATs, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking to Marca, the 19-year-old said:

"[Didier] Drogba did very well with his body. Cristiano [Ronaldo] is very professional in everything. Leo [Messi] who is incredible and Neymar who plays fantasy on the pitch."

Fati also praised PSG ace Kylian Mbappe for his goalscoring brilliance. He has made some good choices, considering each player has left a mark on the sport.

Drogba, a Chelsea legend, had a long career even after leaving Stamford Bridge and retired in 2018 at the age of 40.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is the gold-standard of fitness in football and has shown no signs of slowing down even at 37 while Messi is, simply, Messi.

He struggled to adapt to life at PSG but has a few more years left at the top.

Neymar, when he's not engaging in theatrics, is a joy to behold with his eye-catching trickery and dribbling skills, and Mbappe boasts similar skills too.

When an up-and-coming talent looks up to such accomplished players, he's serious about succeeding, and Fati certainly has the potential to become a great player - he just needs to keep himself fit.

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Barcelona star Ansu Fari's development stalled due to lengthy injuries

Fati broke into Barcelona's first team during the 2019-20 season and quickly established himself as a promising young talent, scoring seven league goals in his first senior campaign.

However, since then, it's all gone downhill for him, suffering a horrific knee injury in November 2020 and then again the following year followed by some hamstring issues too.

In total, he haa missed as many as 82 games in all competitions for Barcelona since the start of the 2020-21 season, making only 25 appearances.

Yet, the forward has managed 11 goals and five more assists during this period, which shows how efficient he is in front of goal.

If Fati keeps himself fit, he has the potential to develop into a goalscoring great.