Atletico Madrid winger Samuel Lino has admitted he enjoys watching compatriots across the Madrid divide in order to add to his game.
Lino, who arrived from Gil Vicente two summers ago, spent last season on loan at Valencia. After a promising season at Mestalla, he has been in electric from since returning to Atletico Madrid.
Lino told Diario AS that he was gracing some of the same stadiums as his ultimate idols, including Ronaldo Nazario.
“Ronaldo. The Phenomenon. It is impossible to compare him with anyone else. He has been my idol since I was little. I have always admired his dribbling, his style of play, everything.”
“When Ronaldo was triumphing, I was very young and I was on the street, playing with my friends (smiles)… But when I went home, I watched a lot of YouTube. His matches, dribbles. And Ronaldinho. I loved them. I like to watch them to be inspired. Absorb it for my football, my game.”
🎙️| Samuel Lino: “Carrasco? I paid a lot of attention to how he defended because he worked hard and did it very well. I also paid attention to the details, the profiles, and that helped me a lot. He would also advise me, ‘Position yourself like this, do it this way,’ to avoid… pic.twitter.com/8q8Rfv5pum
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) November 19, 2023
There are also a number of players he watches from the present day, including Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, in spite of the rivalry between their clubs.
“Yes, Brazil has many good, high-quality dribblers. The Brazilian team is well served with Vinicius, Rodrygo, Antony, Pepe, from Porto, Savinho is having a great season here.”
“I watch Vinicius’ and Rodrygo’s games… also Porto’s games to watch Pepe, who I have played against in Portugal. I also watch from Antony at United, I like to watch the Premier League and he is an inspiration that I try to absorb for my football and my game.”
