Lionel Messi praises Javier Pastore
Argentina forward Lionel Messi has issued high praise to his compatriot, Javier Pastore.
The Palmero hitman has been linked with a move to join Messi at Spanish giants Barcelona and the 21-year-old has received plaudits for his hat-trick, the first of his professional career, against Catania in the Sicilian derby in Serie A on Sunday 14 November.
In an interview with FIFA's official website, reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Messi took the opportunity to hail Pastore after playing alongside him for the Argentina national team.
"You can see he is tough, he's physically fit and he's going to go far, I am convinced of it. He has come on leaps and bounds at Palermo, I didn't know much about him when he played for Huracan but I got to see his quality at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We played
alongside each other (in a recent friendly) Japan and we struck up a good understanding."
Pastore moved to Italian side Palmero from Talleres in his homeland in July 2009 after a spell on loan at Huracan for a fee of around eight million dollars, despite alleged interest from clubs such as English Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea.
The forward has gone on to score 10 goals in 50 games for Palmero, helping them to a fifth place finish in Serie A last season.
Meanwhile, Messi added that he was looking forward to Argentina's friendly match against fierce rivals Brazil, a team he has never beaten at senior level, on Wednesday 17 November. The 23-year-old said that he was particularly looking forward to a reunion with
former Barca player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira ('Ronaldinho').
"I’m particularly looking forward to this match. We already came up against them at Olympics in Beijing and beat them 3-0. It’ll be special thanks to the team we’re playing and also the fact I’ll come face to face with Ronaldinho, a person I’ve got great affection
for. To me he’s truly like a brother and someone who, along with Deco (Anderson Luis de Souza), helped me so much when I was starting out at Barca. I care about them a lot and always wish them the best."
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