FORMER Tottenham starlet Marcus Edwards proved why Mauricio Pochettino likened him to Lionel Messi as he starred for Sporting Lisbon against Antonio Conte’s men.
The 23-year-old, who came through the academy ranks at Spurs, showed his old side what they were missing in Sporting’s 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday.
Edwards featured just once for Spurs’ senior side – a cameo appearance against Gillingham in September 2016.
His old mentor Pochettino heaped praise on him prior to the League Cup fixture, where he claimed he reminds him of Argentine ace Messi.
Poch said: “His qualities… it’s only looks – his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi.”
But he failed to feature again for Tottenham, with the attacking midfielder released in 2019, resulting in the player joining Portuguese club Vitoria.
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And after rebuilding his career in the Primeira Liga, he signed for Sporting earlier this year, where he has become a key member of their squad.
His quality was there for all to see in his first match against his old side as he almost broke the deadlock just before the break at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Edwards picked up the ball near the halfway line, where he skipped past Eric Dier, before shrugging the England international away where he then glided past Ivan Perisic.
He then played a neat one-two with Francisco Trincao where he skipped past Cristian Romero in the box, before seeing his close range shot brilliantly saved by Hugo Lloris.
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BT Sport commentator Ian Darke was blown away by his mazy run, as he stated, “That was Messi like”, before claiming it was reminiscent of Diego Maradona’s goal against England at the 1986 World Cup.
Football fans were also left in awe by his dribbling abilities, as one Twitter user said: “Messi approves this, he was just Messi-esque for a minute until the finish.”
This Spurs supporter commented: “We have a buy-back clause for this guy right? Right??”
A third added: “What a baller!! Football manager legend too! Unreal dribbling.”
Another fan posted: “You have to score that man! would of been one of the greatest goals ever.”
Lauding Edwards, one remarked: “He’s ready for the Prem, bring him back to these shores.”
Meanwhile one gushed: “Looks like the new Maradona.”
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Another tipped him to make Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, as he messaged: “Get him on the plane for the World Cup.”
This user simply stated: “This kid is unbelievable.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
