“That label has never weighed on me” - Argentine footballer responds to Lionel Messi comparisons with bold claim

Argentine youngster Luka Romero, currently playing for AC Milan, said that he never feels the weight of the comparisons he drew to superstar Lionel Messi.

Romero, 19, made footballing history in 2020, when he became the youngest ever player to feature in a La Liga game. At the tender age of 15 years and 219 days, he came on as a substitute for Mallorca against Real Madrid, breaking an 80-year-old record.

However, he has been blowing hot and cold over the last four seasons. After moving to Lazio for a reported fee of €200,000 in 2021, he failed to establish himself at the Stadio Olimpico, struggling for game time.

He moved to AC Milan on a free transfer at the start of the current season, and is now plying his trade on loan at UD Almeria back in La Liga. He has made only 10 appearances this season (five in La Liga, four in Serie A, one in the Coppa Italia), scoring two goals.

Needless to say, when he first arrived on the scene, he was compared to Lionel Messi as a young Argentinian winger looking to make his mark on Spanish football.

The teenager played down the weight of the comparisons in an interview with Relevo, saying:

"That label has never weighed on me. Its always good to be compared to a player like Leo Messi, who is the best in the world. Its very nice, but I like to do things on my own, to be remembered as Luka Romero."

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Throwback: Lionel Messi breaks a La Liga record on this day in 2013

On this day (March 30) in 2013, Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi scored against 19 different La Liga oppositions in 19 consecutive games for Catalan giants Barcelona.

In the process, he became the first player in history to achieve that incredible feat. He started off the run with braces against Mallorca and Real Zaragoza. He backed it up with four more braces against Levante, Athletic Club, Real Betis, and Atletico Madrid.

Messi netted only once each in the next four games against Real Valladolid, Espanyol, Malaga, and Real Sociedad, before smashing four goals against Osasuna.

Singular goals against Valencia, Getafe, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Deportivo, and Celta Vigo, and another couple of braces against Rayo Vallecano and Granada helped him round off the record spree.

He later suffered a season-ending injury, but still managed to score a whopping 60 goals in the 2012-13 season. He would end up breaking the record for most goals in a calendar year, scoring an incredible 91 goals in 2013.

Messi's record will likely stand the test of time, and only a herculean effort could possibly overcome it.