AC Milan starlet Lucas Paqueta was officially unveiled on Tuesday and revealed he hopes to follow in his idol Kaka’s footsteps.
The 21-year-old has joins us from Flamengo in a reported €35m deal, as per Sky Sport Italia, and will potentially be in line to make his debut this month.
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Although it’s far too early to make any comparison between him and Kaka, the similarities in terms of what they can offer us and the fact that they both joined Milan at a young age while moving from Brazil, it makes it easy to see why it is being made.
Nevertheless, Paqueta will be desperate to make a name for himself and as noted in his comments below, he was eager to insist that he’s determined to repay the faith shown in him.
“I am very happy to begin this new challenge, I thank everyone for the welcome and trust shown in me, I can’t wait to be able to repay it on the pitch,” he told the media, as noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. “The comparison with Kakà? He’s one of my idols, one of the best of his generation. I’m at the beginning of my career, I hope I can follow in his footsteps and can repeat his successes.”
Kaka enjoyed two spells with us, the first of which was between 2003 and 2009 as he guided us to a Serie A title and Champions League success along with other major honours.
In turn, coupled with the 95 goals that he scored in 270 appearances, there is a long road ahead of Paqueta to even be considered on that same level, but the Brazilian starlet seemingly had no doubts about making the move to San Siro when asked why he chose Milan.
“One word, Milan. When a club with this story calls you, you do not need to think a lot,” he added. “With my family, I immediately decided to join this project. I think that when you wear the Milan shirt you have to be ready for any occasion, and this is my mentality. To help Milan when they need me.”
Paqueta was also asked whether or not he was familiar with his new coach Gennaro Gattuso, who himself enjoyed an illustrious career for Milan and played a key role alongside Kaka during the club’s last golden era.
“I remember the times when, as a child, I used to play the Playstation. He was a great player, and it’s a unique feeling to be able to be coached by him.”
Time will tell if Gattuso can now help his development and ensure that Paqueta becomes a fundamental figure in Milan’s long term future as we hope he can also make an immediate impact and help us secure Champions League football for next season.
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