“I want to be remembered as me” – AC Milan star dismisses Lionel Messi comparisons

Back in 2020, Luka Romero made La Liga history. He became the youngest ever player in the competition’s history when he was subbed on late for Mallorca against Real Madrid – he broke the record of Sanson which had stood for over 80 years.

The last four years haven’t been easy for Romero, who moved to Lazio in 2021, before switching to AC Milan last summer. He has struggled for any sort of regular football in Italy, which led to him joining Almeria on loan in January, where he has made a promising start, which included a stunning performance against Atletico Madrid.

When he broke through, Romero was compared to Barcelona icon Lionel Messi – perhaps naturally considering they are both Argentinian. Rather surprisingly, the teenager admitted to Relevo that the comparison did not play too much on his mind.

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

Romero is living comfortably at Almeria, and he revealed that he is living with his parents in Andalusia during this six-month loan spell.

“I live with my parents. My twin brother is in Mallorca for his studies, but my parents are with me in Almeria. I’m a very family-oriented guy and I like to be surrounded by my family.”

That’s handy, as his father – Diego Adrian – was also a footballer, and Romero is regularly offered advice.

“He always tells me the truth. When I play well, he tells me, but when I play badly, he also tells me. He tells me the things I have to correct so I don’t repeat them in the next match. I am very grateful to him for all the advice he gives me. These are situations that he has already experienced. When I wasn’t playing and I was feeling bad, he always told me ‘train like you want to earn your job’. He, my brother and my mother have always been there.”

It’s definitely been tough for Romero in recent seasons, but he has so much time to change things into an upward trajectory. This could start with a successful closing to his loan spell at Almeria.